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BV   4597^Te3    1919 

Edwards,  Richard  Henry,  is?! 

Christianity  and  amusement; 


u. 


CHRISTIANITY    AND 
AMUSEMENTS 

SEP  1  4  1034 


By 


Richard  Henry  Edwards 

Secretary  for  Social  Study  and  Service 
Student  Toung  Men' s  Christian  Associations 


ASSOCIATION    PRESS 

New    York:    347  Madison    Avenue 
1919 


COPYRIGHT,    1915,    BY 
THE  INTERNATIONAL  COMMITTEE  OF 
YOUNG  men's  christian   ASSOCIATIONS 


The  Bible  text  used  in  this  volume  is  taken  from  the  American  Standard 
Edition  of  the  Revised  Bible,  copyright,  1901,  by  Thomas  Nelson  &  Sons, 
and  is  used  by  permission. 


TO  MY  WIFE 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 


PAGE 


I.     The  National  Amusement  Situation     ....  9 

II.     The  Christian  Contribution  to  Improvements  27 

III.  Dramatic  Misrepresentations  of  Life  and  the 

Christian  Truth-about-Life 49 

IV.  The  Degradation  of  the  Social  Impulses  and 

THE  Christian  Ideal  of  Friendship     ...  64 

V.     The  Break-up  of  Friendly  Athletics  and  the 

Christian  Challenge 82 

VI.     The  Contagion  of  Crowd  Influence  and  Chris- 
tian Integrity .  98 

VII.     Christianity  and  the  Public  Problem  .     ...  118 

VIII.     Making  Public  Opinion  Effective 134 


INTRODUCTION 

Recreation  is  a  phase  of  human  experience  universal  in 
its  interest,  and  has  been  rightly  grouped  with  work  and 
living  conditions  as  "one  of  the  three  great  master  forces 
fixing  the  mundane  welfare  of  human  beings."  The  chief 
p^jpose  of  this  book  is  to  discover  the  degree  to  which  the 
spiritual  welfare  of  the  people  also  is  moulded  by  their 
amusement  life,  and  the  degree  to  which,  in  turn,  Christianity 
is  able  to  remould  their  amusements.  There  are  many  ap- 
proaches to  the  subject,  any  one  of  which  yields  fruitage. 
The  approach  in  this  study  is  through  the  personal  moral 
questions  which  are  involved  in  popular  forms  of  amusement. 

There  is  far-reaching  wisdom  in  the  words  of  Henry 
Churchill  King,  which  may  serve  to  interpret  the  method  of 
dealing  frankly  with  personal  temptations  which  is  here  em- 
ployed. 

"It  is  intellectual  vagueness,  I  believe,  which  gives  the  chief 
danger  to  many  forms  of  temptation.  .  .  .  The  temptations 
are  alluring  only  so  long  as  their  real  implications  are  allowed 
to  remain  vague  in  the  mind.  Let  them  be  fully  thought  and 
their  power  is  gone.  Iney  will  not  bear  investigation  .  .  . 
It  is  doubtless  not  advice  to  be  followed  in  our  weaker  moods ; 
but  sometimes  the  very  best  cure  for  these  insistent  tempta- 
tions is  no  longer  to  seek  simply  to  evade  their  thought,  but 
to  turn  a  square  look  at  them.  In  some  clear  high  moment  of 
vision,  at  a  time  when  one  is  at  his  best,  let  him  calmly  and 
clearly  face  the  facts  as  to  these  things  which  he  has  counted 
his  greatest  allurements.  Let  him  turn  a  telescope  on  the 
Sirens  and  the  Lorelei — the  telescope  of  a  little  clear  think- 
ing. They  are  not  so  attractive  as  he  has  thought;  their 
beauty  is  false  and  painted ;  their  smile  a  leer."  ^ 

No  teacher  or  student  of  these  pages  who  realizes  the  nature 
of  the   issues   here   involved   will   treat  these   questions  flip- 


^H.  C.  King,  "Rational  Living,"  p.  131. 

7 


'INTRODUCTION 

pantly.  They  will  rather  seek  to  make  every  group  hour 
"a  clear  high  moment  of  vision."  Curiosity  should  never 
lead  students  to  "investigate"  the  public  places  here  dis- 
cussed ;  the  necessary  facts  can  be  more  effectively  secured 
by  other  methods. 

Constant  study  of  the  New  Testament,  especially  the  ethical 
teachings  of  Jesus,  is  an  essential  element  in  the  use  of  this 
book.  Only  as  Christian  men  and  women  ponder  the  prin- 
ciples of  Jesus  in  immediate  contrast  to  the  actual  tempta- 
tions operative  to-day  upon  countless  young  people,  will  the 
power  of  Christ  to  solve  their  difficulties  be  revealed.  Special 
reference  has  been  made  to  the  questions  of  college  men  and 
women  in  the  hope  that  they  especially  may  sense  the  signifi- 
cance of  their  attitudes  on  these  questions,  and  may  with 
others  be  led  to  work  out  for  themselves  a  thorough  inter- 
pretation of  Christian  principles. 

This  book  appears  at  the  same  time  as  the  author's  "Popular 
Amusements,"  which  presents  the  outstanding  social  facts  of 
the  main  types  of  public  amusement  in  America,  and  the 
organized  efforts  which  are  being  made  to  improve  condi- 
tions. "Popular  Amusements"  will  be  found  valuable  as  an 
accompaniment  to  this  study,  as  a  reference  and  guide  book 
by  group  leaders,  and  in  the  preparation  of  topics  by  students. 
It  contains  selected  references  to  the  literature  of  the  subject. 

Grateful  acknowledgment  is  here  made  to  the  members  of 
the  Voluntary  Study  Committee  of  the  Council  of  North 
American  Student  Movements  for  careful  discussion  of  the 
manuscript  at  various  stages,  and  for  many  constructive 
personal  suggestions;  also  to  other  friends  who  have  put  me 
in  their  debt,  especially  Mr.  George  J.  Kneeland,  Mr.  Arthur 
H.  Gleason  and  Professor  C.  F.  Kent. 


CHAPTER   I 

THE  NATIONAL  AMUSEMENT 
SITUATION 

The  Play  Impulse 

All  amusements  have  one  starting  point — the  play  impulse 
in  man.  However  widely  they  differ,  they  all  trace  back  to 
our  love  of  play.  What  then  is  play?  Whatever  one  does 
for  the  pure  love  of  it — that  is  play.  It  is  more  instinctive 
than  work,  and  not  a  whit  less  important.  A  playless  con- 
tinent would  be  no  more  abnormal  than  a  playless  life.  Play 
is  for  childhood  the  shining  gate  that  opens  wide  to  life,  to. 
sociability,  endurance,  cooperation,  natural  growth,  and  the 
subordination  of  one's  own  desires  to  common  ends.  It 
leads  out  the  youthful  spirit  through  mysterious,  instinctive 
regions  where  no  formal  education  can  be  its  guide,  and  may, 
indeed,  light  up  the  meaning  of  government  and  the  moral 
order.  For  maturity,  the  shining  gate  swings  backward, 
restoring  joyous  memories  and  the  early  freshness  of  boy- 
hood's mornings,  recreating  body  and  soul,  warding  off 
nervous  exhaustion,  maintaining  balance  and  proportion  in 
life,  making  work  tolerable  for  the  oppressed,  and  releasing 
the  worker  to  increased  efficiency.  Many  minds  in  many 
centuries  have  misunderstood  or  denied  the  importance  of 
play  and  looked  upon  it  as  a  more  or  less  permissible  sin 
rather  than  as  a  natural,  right,  and  beautiful  expression  of 
the  human  spirit.  This  tragic  misconception  has  made  the 
earth  a  somber  place  for  countless  millions.  It  is  well  to 
believe  in  play,  for  the  love  of  it  leaps  up  instinctively  in 
every  normal  being.  It  is  well  to  believe  in  play,  for  morality 
and  play  grow  up  together  like  joyous  children  when  play 
is    spontaneous,    unbought,    and    clean.      America   believes    in 

9 


[I]  CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

play :  that  is  manifest.  The  question  at  issue  is  the  sort  of 
play  in  which  she  believes,  the  sort  of  recreations  which  are 
to  possess  her  leisure  hours.  These  will  shape  the  national 
character;  these  will  fashion  the  morals  of  her  sons  and 
daughters. 

The  National  Amusements 

Commercial  amusements  have  now  become  so  popular  that 
their  patronage  may  be  said  to  be  universal.  One  has  only 
to  watch  the  night  life  of  any  city  as  it  moves  in  and  out 
past  the  box-offices,  to  see  young,  middle  aged,  and  old,  men, 
women,  and  children,  of  every  occupation  and  station  in  life, 
all  intent  on  finding  "a  good  time."  Sooner  or  later  the 
whole  city  turns  out.  Amusement  enterprises  have  become 
indeed  a  vast  business  interest,  involving  enormous  invest- 
ments of  capital,  occupying  much  valuable  property  in  the 
heart  of  the  cities,  and  receiving  huge  sums  from  the  earn- 
ings of  all  classes  of  citizens.  Their  field  of  operations  ex- 
tends to  every  place  where  a  venture  can  be  expected  to 
pay.  The  ability  of  so  many  fake  enterprises  to  make  money 
indicates  the  openness  and  gullibility  of  the  public  mind,  and 
emphasizes  also  the  dearth  of  wholesome  and  attractive 
offerings.  The  wide  variety  of  commercial  offerings  is 
significant  of  the  amounts  of  money  expended  upon  them 
and  the  intensity  of  popular  desire  to  hear  or  see  some  new 
thing.  Ingenious  appeal  is  made  to  curiosity  and  the  love 
of  spectacle,  to  sociability,  appetite,  and  thirst,  to  sex  excite- 
ment, antagonism,  and  many  other  human  desires.  Spec- 
tacular offerings  have  been  sought  out  in  the  remotest  corners 
of  the  globe,  and  made  to  yield  their  brief  moment  of 
stimulation  to  the  ever  shifting  multitude.  Some  thriller  is 
provided  for  every  pleasurable  sensation  known  to  man. 

What  are  the  outstanding  national  amusements?  This  is  a 
large  and  far-reaching  question.  An  answer  in  briefest  out- 
line only  can  be  given  here.  Popular  amusements  fall  for 
the    most   part    into    five    main   groups:    (i)    The    Dramatic 

lO 


•    THE  AMUSEMENT  SITUATION  [I] 

Group;  (2)  The  Social  Rendezvous  Group;  (3)  The  Athletic 
Group;  (4)  Special  Amusement  Places;  (5)  Special  Amuse- 
ment Events. 

(i)  The  Dramatic  Group.  Under  this  general  head  are 
included:  (a)  Serious  Drama;  (b)  Melodrama,  Musical 
Comedy,  Farce,  and  Burlesque;  (c)  Vaudeville;  (d)  Motion 
Pictures,  and  a  few  others.  They  all  have  this  in  common, 
that  they  involve  some  sort  of  dramatic  representation  before 
an  audience.  Attention  is  invited  to  the  scene  presented,  and 
with  them  all  "the  play's  the  thing." 

(2)  The   Social   Rendezvous   Group.     Here   are   included: 

(a)  Cafes    with    amusement    features,    and    similar    places; 

(b)  Public  Dance  Halls;  (c)  Pool  Rooms,  and  similar  hang- 
outs for  men.  These  resorts  have  this  in  common,  that 
they  bring  people  together  for  social  intercourse.  They 
variously  offer  opportunity  for  eating  and  drinking,  smoking, 
music,  dancing,  games,  and  a  certain  amount  of  general 
sociability.  The  first  and  second  headings  above  cover  insti- 
tutions for  men  and  women ;  the  third  for  men  alone. 

(3)  The  Athletic  Group,  Here  are  included:  (a)  Amateur 
Athletics  in  all  their  wide  variety;  (b)  Professional  Ath- 
letics, the  most  conspicuous  among  which  are  baseball  and 
boxing. 

(4)  Special  Amusement  Places.  Here  we  group :  (a) 
Commercial  Amusement  Parks,  such  as  electric  parks,  lake, 
river,  and  shore  resorts,  "white  cities,"  and  the  "midway"  of 
many  public  parks — all  the  glittering  train  of  large-scale 
amusement  enterprises  which  have  Coney  Island  for  their 
dazzling  headlight;  (b)  Race  Track  Parks  devoted  to  horse 
racing. 

(5)  Special  Amusement  Events.  These  include  chiefly: 
(a)  Holidays  and  similar  celebrations;  (b)  Excursions  and 
Outings;  (c)  The  Circus;  (d)  Amusement  features  of  Fairs; 
(e)  Automobile  and  similar  races;  (f)  Aeroplane  Exhibi- 
tions and  Balloon  Ascensions. 

It  is  impossible  here  to  make  specific  inquiry  into  the 
moral  character  of  each  of  these  five  groups  in  their  several 

II 


[I]  CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

phases/  We  shall  consider  here  only  the  most  significant 
features  in  the  situation  as  a  whole,  in  order  that  we  may 
be  the  better  prepared  to  understand  the  concrete  personal 
temptations  as  they  appear  in  each  of  these  amusement 
groups  in  succeeding  chapters. 

Outstanding  Features  of  the  Amusement  Situation 

Three  features  characterize  the  situation  to  greater  or  less 
degree  in  all  its  phases.  Each  has  profound  significance 
in  the  morals  of  the  national  life.  They  are:  (i)  Profes- 
sionalism;   (2)    Commercialism;    (3)    Immorality. 

(i)  Professionalisvi.  Over  against  the  wholesome  love  of 
play,  the  love  of  being  played  upon  has  become  a  national 
passion.  The  spontaneity  of  playful  activities  and  the  origi- 
nality which  creates  them  are  being  lulled  to  sleep  by  the  habit 
of  being  amused.  Among  great  groups  of  people  it  is  wholly 
out  of  date  to  "make  your  own  fun."  Especially  where  con- 
gestion of  living  conditions  and  the  fatigue  of  over-work 
make  private  recreation  difficult  for  families  and  friends,  the 
crowds  are  flocking  to  the  public  entertainers.  They  look 
on,  wistful  or  jaded,  while  others  do  their  playing  for  them. 
Yet  not  with  these  alone  has  the  professional  come  to 
dominate  the  situation.  Almost  equally  with  those  whose 
resources  for  private  recreation  are  ample,  the  compelling 
motive  is  to  be  amused.  The  professional  entertainer  holds 
sway  in  every  field  from  which  he  is  not  rigidly  excluded, 
and  the  rights  of  the  amateur  are  not  vigorously  asserted. 
He  plays  the  game  better  than  the  rest  of  us.  We  pay  him 
to  devote  his  time  to  it.  His  work  has  high  social  value  if 
he  teaches  the  rest  of  us  how  to  play  the  game  better  and 
we  keep  on  playing,  but  when  his  superiority  shames  us  into 
inactivity — into  merely  watching  him — we  are  in  a  dangerous 
way.  That  is  what  has  happened  to  us,  and  the  line  of 
division  between  the  entertainer  and  the  entertained  is  an 
ever-deepening  line,  save  where  reassertions  of  the  amateur 


iSee  "Popular  Amusements"  for  such  a  discussion  under  each  phase  of  the 
situation. 

12 


•  THE  AMUSEMENT  SITUATION  [I] 

spirit  restrain  it.  Witness  the  fact  that  a  handful  of  motion 
picture  actors  are  the  only  acting  participants  in  drama  for 
an  estimated  twenty  millions  of  Americans  every  day.^  The 
rest  are  all  spectators.  The  movement  for  amateur  dramatics, 
encouraging  though  it  be,  is  only  one  little  note  over  against 
the  whole  orchestra  of  professiovaalism. 

The  circus  goes  from  city  to  city  with  its  variegated  troupe 
of  professionals,  intent  on.  one  thing  only — stirring  new 
thrills  of  sensation  in  the  largest  attainable  number  of 
spectators. 

Witness  again  the  way  in  which  a  handful  of  professional 
baseball  players  play  baseball,  not  merely  for  the  throngs 
which  attend  the  games,  but  literally  for  a  nation  of  fans 
who  follow  the  games  from  afar.  How  many  men  over 
thirty  years  of  age  in  any  town  could  themselves  play  a 
game  of  ball  without  being  laid  up  for  a  week? 

What  proportion  of  students  in  any  university  play  on  the 
teams?  The  rest  serve  as  highly  predisposed  spectators,  as 
masses  of  "rooters"  who  seek,  through  organized  cheering, 
to  alter  the  course  of  the  game.  The  resulting  situation  is 
described  as  follows. 

"From  these  conditions  arise  certain  psychic  traits  of  the 
academic  athletic  crowd.  They  center  in  its  extreme  partisan- 
ship. The  moral  tone  of  the  emotions  is  lowered.  The  finer 
appreciation  of  feelings  and  actions,  notably  those  of  the 
adversary,  are  suppressed.  Violent  shouts  and  epithets  give 
notice  that  the  cave-man  is  up.  Victory  must  be  had.  Accord- 
ingly semi-professionalism  has  arisen:  and,  in  spite  of  repeated 
regulation,  is  still  widely  tolerated.  Let  not  college  sports  be* 
tainted  by  commercialism  which  semi-professionalism  implies. 
Under  existing  conditions  the  spectator  crowd  at  an  inter- 
collegiate football  contest  fosters  ideals  much  lower  than 
those  suggested  by  a  game  of  professional  baseball."^ 

We  have  hardly  more  than  begun  to  create  our  own  com- 


IW.  P.  Eaton,  "Menace  of  the  Movies,"  American  Magazine,  September, 
1913.  V.  76.  p.  55. 

2  G.  E.  Howard,  "Social  Psychology  of  the  Spectator,"  American  Journal 
■of  Sociology,  July,  19 12,  V.  18. 

13 


[I]  CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

munity  festivals  and  pageants  in  which  great  numbers  of  the 
people  themselves  take  part. 

The  truth  of  the  matter  is  this :  A  social  disease  has  been 
spreading  broadcast  among  us.  The  professional,  whether 
he  be  actor,  athlete,  circus  performer,  or  what  not,  is  the 
chief  source  of  infection.  The  disease  of  spectatoritis  is. 
abroad  in  the  land.  Its  germs  are  in  every  breath  we  draw, 
and  most  of  us  are  affected  with  that  paralysis  of  play 
activities  which  is  its  most  striking  symptom.  It  rapidly 
runs  its  course,  deadening  the  nervous  resilience  of  an  indi- 
vidual or  a  community.  Here  and  there  appears  the  aggra- 
vated case,  completely  infected,  the  fan  who  is  nothing  but 
a  fan — a  flabby  creature,  symbolic  of  a  multitude,  a  parasite 
upon  the  play  of  others,  the  least  athletic  of  all  men,  never 
playing  himself  at  anything,  a  spectacle  hunter,  not  a  sports- 
man. 

Spectatoritis,  like  the  professional  who  spreads  it,  depends 
upon  crowds  and  crowd  contagion.  The  crowd  spirit  is  at 
work  in  almost  every  phase  of  the  amusement  problem. 
Great  masses  of  people,  meeting  in  the  highly  suggestible  state 
of  crowd  consciousness,  are  daily  exposed  to  the  professional' 
entertainer,  the  expert  crowd  stimulator,  who  has  unique 
power  for  "the  contagion  of  virtues  and  vices  in  the  epidemic 
of  degrading  or  uplifting  suggestions."  It  is  to  the  infection 
of  these  great  crowds  of  people  with  spectatoritis  and.  its 
deadening  effects  that  we  must  trace  responsibility  for  the 
toleration  of  low  standards  of  dramatic  art  throughout  the 
n.ation.  Here  lies  the  difficulty  in  professional  athletics,  and 
also  in  the  present  system  of  intercollegiate  athletics  with 
such  a  monstrous  provision,  for  example,  as  that  of  the 
new  Yale  Bowl,  seating  70,000  spectators — a  highly  educa- 
tional achievement ! 

"The  spectator  crowd  at  an  athletic  contest,  a  football: 
game,  a  game  of  baseball,  a  wrestling  or  a  boxing  match,  a 
marathon  race,  is  essentially  a  theater  crowd,  except  that 
often  it  sits  in  the  open  air.  The  members  of  the  spectacle 
are  the  only  persons  who  exercise,  and  their  exercise  is  not. 

14 


■  THE  AMUSEMENT  SITUATION  [I] 

pUy,  but  work;  often  for  hire.  The  vicarious  play  of  the 
team,  however  fascinating,  does  not  exercise  the  spectator's 
muscles."  ^ 

Spcctatoritis  is  the  crowd  reaction  to  professionalism.  It 
must  be  squarely  faced  if  the  amusement  problem  is  to  be 
solved,  for  its  result  is  brutality  and  callousness  at  the  loss 
of  human  life.  We  may  yet  avoid  its  full  manifestations, 
familiar  to  other  nations,  ancient  and  modern,  in  established 
public  spectacles  of  brutality.  We  are  still  a  long  way 
from  the  Roman  amphitheater  and  the  Spanish  bullfight,  but 
spectatoritis  leads  that  way.  Its  way  has  ever  been  the  path 
of  a  jaded  sensationalism,  and  the  sensational  is  the  basis 
of  appeal  in  an  alarming  proportion  of  our  public  amuse- 
ments. A  clear-eyed  public  opinion  must  now  reckon  in 
advance  with  its  ultimate  consequences. 

(2)  Commercialism.  Inseparable  from  the  evils  of  profes- 
sionalism and  spcctatoritis  stands  that  of  commercial  domina- 
tion. The  distinguishing  difference  between  the  professional 
and  the  amateur  is  the  entrance  of  the  money  element.  It 
is  clear  enough  that  the  money  element  dominates  the 
amusement  situation  in  America.  Back  of  the  professional 
stands  the  commercial  promoter,  and  the  promoter  takes  his 
cue  from  the  cash-box  every  time.  He  is  not  seeking  chiefly 
the  social  welfare.  Walter  Rauschenbusch  has  well  stated 
the  influence  of  commercial  control  in  the  following:  "Pleas- 
ure resorts  run  for  profit  are  always  edging  along  toward 
the  forbidden.  Men  spend  most  freely  when  under  liquor  or 
sex  excitement;  therefore,  the  pleasure  resorts  supply  them 
with  both.  "Where  profit  is  eliminated,  the  quieter  and  higher 
pleasures  get  their  chance." 

Commercial  management  has  been  well  characterized  as 
tending  to  sever  the  individual  from  the  community,  to 
prefer  miscellaneous  crowds  to  neighborly  groups,  to  neglect 
the  interests  of  the  child,  and  to  make  no  provision  aside 
from   moving  pictures   for  the   mother   of   the   wage-earning 

^G.  E.  Howard,  "Social  Psychology  of  the  Spectator,"  American  Journal  of 
Sociology,  July,  191 2,  V.  18,  pp.  42-46. 

IS 


[I]  CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

family.  Doubtless  we  would  all  agree  that  amusements  may 
be  good  or  bad  independent  of  commercial  management, 
and  likewise,  that  commercial  management  is  apparently 
necessary  and  valuable  in  certain  portions  of  the  amusement 
field.  Yet  may  it  not  be  that  the  present  situation  is  widely 
dominated  by  a  type  of  commercial  management  which  re- 
gards neither  art  nor  spontaneity  nor  the  basic  demands  of 
morality — a  commercialized  management?  Any  careful  study 
of  the  problem  brings  one  to  an  affirmative  answer  to  this 
question. 

Let  us  be  wholly  just,  however,  to  amusement  promoters. 
There  are  a  considerable  number  of  able  men  in  the  "amuse- 
ment business"  who  serve  society  valuably.  They  explore 
new  fields  of  human  interest.  They  stake  large  sums  of 
money  on  experiments  calculated  to  open  some  new  approach 
to  the  social  mind,  and  enlarge  the  borders  of  human  happi- 
ness, with  profit,  of  course,  for  themselves,  but  not  without 
benefit  to  society.  The  commercial  promoter,  indeed,  often 
pays  the  cost  of  experimentation  with  the  social  mind  and 
in  effect  hands  over  to  society  a  forged  weapon,  as  in  the 
now  accepted  use  of  motion  pictures  in  education. 

There  are  charlatans  here,  however,  as  in  other  forms  of 
business,  plenty  of  them,  constituting  a  large  proportion  of 
those  engaged:  these  all  stand  for  the  exploitation  of  human 
life,  not  for  service.  Let  us  see  the  amusement  exploiter 
also,  just  as  he  is,  for  he  lies  in  wait  for  the  spirit  of  youth 
at  every  corner.  He  is  not  a  playful  person,  nor  does  he  by 
his  enterprises  produce  a  playful  people.  With  him  the  love 
of  fun  in  the  human  heart  is  a  cold  matter  of  dollars  and 
cents.  He  buys  youth's  freshness  of  feeling  in  return  for 
sundry  ticklings  of  sensation,  and  blights  its  glad  spon- 
taneities with  his  itching  palm.  He  turns  the  pure,  upleaping 
spirit  of  play  into  a  craze  for  mere  sensation,  and  coins  up 
with  an  awful  wastage  one  of  the  most  priceless  resources 
of  the  race.  There  follows  in  his  train  a  jaded  company 
of  heavy-eyed,  broken  people  who  have  lost  the  spirit  of 
youth  and  the  love  of  vigorous,  wholesome  play.    The  under- 

i6 


THE  AMUSEMENT  SITUATION  [I] 

lying  fact  in  the  amusement  situation  is  this :  certain  com- 
mercial interests  have  discovered  the  natural  resource  of 
the  play  instinct  and  are  exploiting  it  for  gain  as  ruthlessly 
as  they  have  exploited  other  great  natural  resources.  The 
depleted  emotions,  the  stimulated  lust,  and  the  criminal 
tendencies  which  they  produce  by  their  exploitations  cannot 
be  traced  back  to  source  with  the  same  deadly  accuracy  as 
bleak  hillsides  and  slaughtered  stump  lots  may  be  laid  at 
the  door  of  ruthless  deforestation,  but  the  methods  and 
results  are  not  essentially  dissimilar.  In  no  phase  of  our 
whole  great  modern  struggle  against  excessive  profits  for 
the  few  and  in  favor  of  human  values  for  the  many,  is  the 
battle  any  keener  than  in  this  "superficial"  question  of  popular 
amusements.  As  the  congestion  of  city  life  thickens  and  the 
daily  struggle  for  a  living  wage  grows  sharper,  the  human 
need  for  release  through  real  recreation  becomes  sharper  also. 
It  has,  indeed,  become  for  many  a  desperate  need.  "Leisure  in 
an  industrial  city  is  life  itself."  The  more  tragic  therefore, 
becomes  the  loss  of  those  spiritual  values  which  are  crucified 
by  commercialism  in  association  with  play.  The  full  signifi- 
cance of  commercialized  domination  is  apparent  only  to 
those  who  realize  how  highly  spiritual  an  expression  of 
human  life  is  made  in  play.  If  spontaneous,  wholesome,  and 
well-ordered  play  is  a  profoundly  educative  and  moralizing 
force,  then  the  substitution  of  cold  profit-seeking  amuse- 
ments, artificial  and  often  nasty,  can  but  exercise  a  corre- 
spondingly profound   effect   for   demoralization. 

Public  opinion  has  before  it  the  task  of  restoring  to  all 
groups  of  citizens  a  full  opportunity  for  wholesome  recrea- 
tions untouched  by  the  commercial  spirit,  and  also  the 
parallel  task  of  quickening  for  them  that  popular  enthusiasm 
which  is  now  so  largely  perverted  by  commercial  interests. 

(3)  Immorality.  First  let  us  clearly  recognize  and  re- 
emphasize  here  the  fundamental  morality  of  wholesome  play. 
Every  normal  human  impulse  has  some  normal  means  of 
expression.  There  is  no  natural  impulse  to  play,  dramatic, 
sociable,    athletic    or    otherwise,    which    fails    to    have    some 

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[I]  CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

absolutely  moral  expression.  Let  us  at  the  outset  be  free 
from  that  whole  philosophy  of  life  which  looks  upon  play 
itself  as  a  more  or  less  permissible  sin;  for  we  seek  no 
repression  of  the  instinct  of  play,  but  rather  its  full  and 
rich  development.  We  recognize,  likewise,  and  take  for 
granted  throughout  our  study,  th'e  large  amount  of  good 
which  exists  in  all  these  groups  of  public  amusements.  The 
recognition  of  their  good,  however,  will  not  deter  us  from 
a  full  and  fearless  study  of  their  evils.  Where  immorality 
exists  we  must  know  something  at  least  of  its  hiding  places. 
A  commercial  management  which  is  attuned  to  the  cash- 
box  cannot  have  harmonious  morals.  Where  money  is  put 
first,  other  values  get  in  afterward  where  they  can.  The 
type  of  morality  which  puts  money  ahead  of  everything  else 
widely  characterizes  commercial  amusements  and  those  who 
conduct  them.     Miss  Addams  goes  so  far  as  to  write : 

"Since  the  soldiers  of  Cromwell  shut  up  the  people's  play- 
houses and  destroyed  their  pleasure  fields,  the  Anglo-Saxon 
city  has  turned  over  the  provision  for  public  recreation  to 
the  most  evil-minded  and  the  most  unscrupulous  members 
of  the  community."  ^ 

It  has  been  demonstrated  in  the  recent  reports  of  vice 
investigations  in  large  cities,  such  as  New  York,  Chicago,  and 
Philadelphia,  that  commercial  amusement  enterprises  line  both 
sides  of  the  broad  way  that  leads  to  the  underworld.  The 
Philadelphia  Vice  Report,  for  example,  declares : 

"Many  public  dance  halls,  moving  picture  shows,  and  other 
amusement  centers,  are  breeding  places  of  vice — the  rendez- 
vous of  men  who  entrap  girls  and  of  girls  who  solicit  men. 
Veritable  orgies  are  described  as  transpiring  in  some  of  the 
clubs.  The  proprietors  of  these  places  are  known  to  abet 
these  vicious  practices,  and,  in  many  cases,  to  derive  large 
revenue  from  them."  ^ 


>  Jane  Addams,  "The  Spirit  of  Youth  and  the  City  Streets,"  p.  7. 
2  "Report  of  the  Vice  Commission  of  Philadelphia,"  p.  21. 


THE  AMUSEMENT  SITUATION  [I] 

The  Chicago  A-^ice  Report  says : 

"The  investigation  of  dance  halls,  cheap  theaters,  amuse- 
ment parks,  and  lake  steamers,  shows  that  these  places  are 
surrounded  by  vicious  dangers  and  temptations  which  result 
in  sending  many  young  girls  into  lives  of  immorality."  ^ 

Great  sections  of  the  amusement  problem  are  found  in 
fact  to  overlap  the  vice  problem  and  to  form  one  great 
series  of  exploitations  by  which  the  vicious  and  crim.inal 
prey  upon  the  innocent,  prostituting  the  natural  instinct  of 
pleasure  and  degrading  vast  num.bers  of  young  people  into 
the  life  of  shame — "confusing  joy  with  lust  and  gaiety  with 
debauchery." 

Julia  Schoenfeld  summarizes  her  impressions  of  an  in- 
vestigation of  New  York  conditions  as  follows : 

"It  was  discouraging  after  many  weeks  of  going  about  to 
see  the  same  characteristics,  the  same  pitfalls,  the  same 
snares  for  all.  Young  girls  do  not  willingly  walk  into 
danger.  Girls  are  everywhere  and  danger  lurks  everywhere. 
Girls  from  good  homes,  girls  who  live  in  boarding  houses, 
girls  from  the  tenements,  girls  who  must  content  themselves 
in  hall  bedrooms,  girls  of  all  ages,  all  in  the  mad  pursuit  of 
pleasure,  running  headlong  into  danger,  having  their  moral 
senses  blunted — all  because  the  people  of  New  York  are 
willing  to  let  any  kind  of  amusement  exist  under  any  con- 
ditions, are  willing  to  sit  by  and  let  politicians  graft.  By 
their  very  indifference  to  public  welfare  they  are  helping 
along  the  great  curse  that  is  besetting  the  American  public 
to-day — the  Social  Evil."  ^ 

A  significant  chart  is  presented  in  the  Kansas  City  Survey 
of  Commercial  Recreation  by  Fred  F.  McClure   (p.  72>)  • 

"After  noting  the  maturity  and  impressionability  of  the 
attendants  at  various  kinds  of  commercial  amusements,  and 
listing  carefully  the  objectionable  features  of  each  kind,  the 

1  "The  Social  Evil  in  Chicago,"  p.  246. 

2  From  an  unpublished  report  on  amusement  resorts  by  Julia  Schoenfeld. 

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[I]  CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

following  rating  of  the  different  kinds  of  amusements  in 
proportion  to  their  moral  worth  is  submitted  as  representing 
an  opinion  based  on  very  careful  study : 

Motion  Picture  Shows   79    per  cent  good 

Theatres     72      „  „ 

Dance  Halls   23 .  i  „  „ 

River  Excursion  Boats  7 -7  „  „ 

Pool  Halls    46.2  „  „ 

Skating  Rinks    74. i  „  „ 

Penny   Arcades    38 . 5  „  „ 

Shows — "Men  Only"   o       „  „ 

Shooting  Galleries    84.7,,  „ 

Bowling  Alleys    77  •  i  „  „ 

Amusement  Parks    71  •  i  „  „ 

Medical  museums,  social  clubs,  wine  gardens,  chop  suey 
restaurants,  and  saloons  are  not  graded.  They  would  un- 
doubtedly lower  the  average  of  good,  wholesome  recreation. 

The  totals  show  wholesome  amusements  68  per  cent;  bad, 
32  per  cent.  The  32  per  cent  consists  of  intemperance, 
obscenity,  suggestions  of  crime,  dissipation,  late  hours,  repre- 
senting an  expenditure  of  $1,923,211.99." 

It  is  as  yet  little  realized  what  a  plot  the  forces  of  evil 
have  conspired  against  the  young  people  of  the  cities.  They 
still  start  life  with  moral  fiber  made  of  the  same  essential 
texture  as  the  youth  of  the  country.  The  break  in  that 
fiber  is  the  result  of  unbearable  strains  which  a  complex  of 
exploitations  puts  upon  it.  They  are  not  infrequently  ex- 
ploited in  their  homes.  They  are  widely  exploited  in  their 
work,  and  set  to  mechanical  routine  at  the  age  when  every 
natural  instinct  craves  change  and  fun  and  shifting  interests. 
In  their  reactions  of  fatigue  they  are  caught  in  the  grip  of 
amusement  enterprises  which  are  often  run  with  an  un- 
believable disregard  of  moral  consequences.  The  filching  of 
their  meager  earnings  is  only  a  little  theft  compared  with 
the  enormity  of  that  robbery  by  which  their  spontaneous 
joy  in  life,  their  modesty,  and  their  chastity  are  plucked 
away.      It    is   a    terrible    thing    to    bring    the    emotional    and 

20 


•THE  AMUSEMENT  SITUATION  [I] 

spiritual  resources  of  youth  to  bankruptcy  at  twenty-two  or 
twenty-three.  The  spiritual  values  of  a  rich  maturity  cannot 
blossom  in  such  lives.  The  lust  for  profit  has  picked  open 
the  bud.  It  is  no  cause  for  wonder  that  youth  wilts  under 
the  process,  that  emotional  instability  is  so  prevalent,  that 
the  age  of  youth  is  the  age  of  crime,  and  that  clandestine 
prostitution  appears  to  grow  with  appalling  rapidity.  On 
the  other  hand,  it  is  a  cause  for  wonder  to  all  who  are  close 
to  these  young  people,  that  boyish  integrity  and  chivalry  last 
as  long  as  they  do,  so  often  victoriously,  and  that  chastity 
makes  so  stubborn  a  fight  for  its  life.  If  all  young  people 
are  to  have  their  rightful  share  of  high  joy  in  life,  morality 
must  have  the  utmost  reinforcement,  for  the  power  of  per- 
sonal morality — the  power  of  the  individual  to  refuse  the 
evil  and  choose  the  good — is  nowhere  more  needed  than  in 
the  hodge-podge  of  moral  confusions  which  characterizes 
amusement  offerings  to-day,  often  making  evil  seem  attrac- 
tive and  a  good  life  repellent  rather  than  beautiful. 

A  Public  Azvakcning 

The  first  step  in  the  solution  of  this  problem  is  a  public 
awakening  to  the  facts  of  the  situation.  Only  as  the  full 
significance  of  professionalism,  commercialism,  and  immoral- 
ity in  amusements  is  brought  home  to  the  thinking  public 
will  reconstructions  take  place.  The  charm  of  home  life  will 
then  be  reestablished,  as  it  must,  for  it  is  the  stronghold  of 
morality.  There  can  never  be  any  adequate  substitute  for  the 
home,  however  long  the  economic  struggle,  and  however 
difficult  the  reconstructions  of  the  social  order  required  to 
liberate  it  in  city  life.  An  awakened  public  opinion  must 
see  to  it  in  the  meantime  that  a  vast  amount  of  organized 
recreation  in  the  midst  of  wholesome  surroundings  is  made 
effective,  in  order  that  society  may  bring  to  its  youth  those 
normal  pleasures  which  make  for  morality. 

The  great  right-minded  public  has  a  fight  on  against  the 
forces  which  now  control  the  provision  of  amusements  and 

21 


[I-i]         CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

against  a  small  but  vicious  public  which  has  learned  how  to 
get  from  commercial  management  what  it  wants.  A  fearless 
campaign  for  wholesomeness  is  the  immediate  need. 

"There  must  be  fostered  a  powerful  sentiment  in  favor  of 
the  public  support  of  all  proper  forms  of  the  newer  recrea- 
tional education.  By  Nature's  law  recreative  pleasures  are 
essential  to  sound  body,  sound  mind,  sound  character,  and 
sound  social  living.  Why  suffer  them  longer  to  be  monopo- 
lized for  commercial  exploitation — often  for  vicious  ends?"^ 

An  alert  and  well-informed  public  opinion  will  insist  that 
the  amateur  shall  have  his  rights,  that  the  cash-box  is  meant 
to  serve  the  recreations  of  the  American  people,  not  to  rule 
them,  and  that  the  safe-guarding  of  public  morality  is  the 
paramount  issue  in  the  national  life.  Only  thus  will  the 
three  outstanding  evils  of  the  situation  be  rectified. 


Daily  Readings 

I.  From  early  childhood  to  old  age,  the  spirit  of  play 
runs  flashing  like  a  mountain  brook  through  the  life  of  man. 
Tossing  free  on  the  hillsides  of  youth  or  gently  rippling  the 
surface  in  the  lower  valleys,  it  outlasts  the  journey,  brighten- 
ing all  the  way.  Seldom  mentioned  in  the  records  of  his 
life,  but  clearly  leaping  in  the  consciousness  of  Jesus,  it 
stands  revealed  in  his  perfect  love  of  children  in  whose 
spontaneity  and  freshness  of  feeling  he  rejoiced. 

And  they  were  bringing  unto  him  little  children, 
that  he  should  touch  them :  and  the  disciples  rebuked 
them.  But  when  Jesus  saw  it,  he  was  moved  with 
indignation,  and  said  unto  them.  Suffer  the  little 
children  to  come  unto  me ;  forbid  them  not :  for  to 
such  belongeth  the  kingdom  of  God.  Verily  I  say 
unto  you,  Whosoever  shall  not  receive  the  kingdom 


1  G.  E.  Howard,  "Social  Psychology  of  the  Spectator,"  American  Journal 
of  Soctology,  July,  1912,  V.  18,  pp.  42-46. 

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•  THE  AMUSEMENT  SITUATION  [I-2] 

of  God  as  a  little  child,  he  shall  in  no  wise  enter 
therein.  And  he  took  them  in  his  arms,  and  blessed 
them,  laying  his  hands  upon  them. — Mark  10 :  13-16. 
They  are  like  unto  children  that  sit  in  the  market 
place,  and  call  one  to  another;  who  say,  We  piped 
unto  you,  and  ye  did  not  dance;  we  wailed,  and  ye 
did  not  weep. — Luke  7  :  32. 

2.  The  commercialization  of  any  great  natural  impulse 
kills  freedom  and  spontaneity  of  expression.  Jesus  took 
drastic  action  upon  those  who  commercialized  the  expression 
of  the  religious  impulses. 

And  Jesus  entered  into  the  temple  of  God,  and 
cast  out  all  them  that  sold  and  bought  in  the  temple, 
and  overthrew  the  tables  of  the  money-changers,  and 
the  seats  of  them  that  sold  the  doves;  and  he  saith 
unto  them.  It  is  written,  My  house  shall  be  called  a 
house  of  prayer :  but  ye  make  it  a  den  of  robbers. 
— Matt.  21 :  12,   13. 

May  we  not  rightly  believe  that  he  opposes  equally  the 
prostituting  of   the  play  impulse? 

3.  Another  servant  might  have  been  put  into  this  parable — 
the  man  who  took  the  talent  and  wasted  it  utterly.  How 
do  the  allurements  of  commercialized  amusements  keep  men 
from  using  their  gifts,  or  lead  them  to  waste  them  utterly? 

And  he  that  received  the  five  talents  came  and 
brought  other  five  talents,  saying,  Lord,  thou  deliv- 
eredst  unto  me  five  talents :  lo,  I  have  gained  other 
five  talents.  His  lord  said  unto  him.  Well  done,  good 
and  faithful  servant :  thou  hast  been  faithful  over  a 
few  things,  I  will  set  thee  over  many  things ;  enter 
thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  lord.  And  he  also  that 
received  the  two  talents  came  and  said.  Lord,  thou 
deliveredst  unto  me  two  talents :  lo,  I  have  gained 
other  two  talents.  His  lord  said  unto  him.  Well  done, 
good  and  faithful  servant :  thou  hast  been  faithful 
over  a  few  things,  I  will  set  thee  over  many  things ; 

23 


[1-4]         CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  lord.  And  he  also  that 
had  received  the  one  talent  came  and  said,  Lord,  I 
knew  thee  that  thou  art  a  hard  man,  reaping  where 
thou  didst  not  sow,  and  gathering  where  thou  didst 
not  scatter ;  and  I  was  afraid,  and  went  away  and  hid 
thy  talent  in  the  earth :  lo,  thou  hast  thine  own.  But 
his  lord  answered  and  said  unto  him.  Thou  wicked 
and  slothful  servant,  thou  knewest  that  I  reap  where 
I  sowed  not,  and  gather  where  I  did  not  scatter ;  thou 
oughtest  therefore  to  have  put  my  money  to  the 
bankers,  and  at  my  coming  I  should  have  received 
back  mine  own  with  interest. — Matt.  25  :  20-27. 

4.  Why  is  the  commercialization  of  life  so  dangerous  in 
the  thought  of  Jesus?  Where  does  it  focus  one's  attention? 
What  action  commended  by  Jesus  does  it  make  impossible? 

Lay  not  up  for  yourselves  treasures  upon  the 
earth,  where  moth  and  rust  consume,  and  where 
thieves  break  through  and  steal :  but  lay  up  for  your- 
selves treasures  in  heaven,  where  neither  moth  nor 
rust  doth  consume,  and  where  thieves  do  not  break 
through  nor  steal :  for  where  thy  treasure  is,  there 
will  thy  heart  be  also. — Matt.  6 :  19-21. 

5.  How  different  is  the  attitude  of  all  those  who  exploit 
human  life  for  gain  from  the  attitude  of  Jesus ! 

And  Jesus  went  about  all  the  cities  and  the  villages, 
teaching  in  their  synagogues,  and  preaching  the 
gospel  of  the  kingdom,  and  healing  all  manner  of 
disease  and  all  manner  of  sickness.  But  when  he 
saw  the  multitudes,  he  was  moved  with  compassion 
for  them,  because  they  were  distressed  and  scattered, 
as  sheep  not  having  a  shepherd. — Matt.  9 :  35,  36. 

Toward  which  attitude  is  my  life  tending? 

6.  How  refreshing  is  the  sound  morality  of  life  which 
Christianity  commends  in  contrast  to  evil  habits  prevalent 
now  as  in  its  early  days ! 

24 


THE  AMUSEMENT  SITUATION  [I-;] 

Wherefore  take  up  the  whole  armor  of  God,  that  ye 
may  be  able  to  withstand  in  the  evil  day,  and,  having 
done  all,  to  stand.  Stand  therefore,  having  girded 
your  loins  with  truth,  and  having  put  on  the  breast- 
plate of  righteousness,  and  having  shod  your  feet  with 
the  preparation  of  the  gospel  of  peace ;  withal  taking 
up  the  shield  of  faith,  Vvherewith  ye  shall  be  able  to 
quench  all  the  fiery  darts  of  the  evil  one.  And  take 
the  helmet  of  salvation,  and  the  sword  of  the  Spirit, 
which  is  the  word  of  Qod. — Eph.  6 :  13-17. 

7.  And  when  he  drew  nigh,  he  saw  the  city  and 
wept  over  it,  saying.  If  thou  hadst  known  in  this  day, 
even  thou,  the  things  which  belong  unto  peace !  but 
now  they  are  hid  from  thine  eyes.  For  the  days 
shall  come  upon  thee,  when  thine  enemies  shall  cast 
up  a  bank  about  thee,  and  compass  thee  round,  and 
keep  thee  in  on  every  side,  and  shall  dash  thee  to 
the  ground,  and  thy  children  within  thee;  and  they 
shall  not  leave  in  thee  one  stone  upon  another ; 
because  thou  knewest  not  -the  time  of  thy  visitation. 
— Luke   19:41-44. 

What  right  have  we  to  suppose  that  Jesus  would  be  moved 
to  grief  at  immoral  conditions  in  American  cities  to-day? 
How  do  these  conditions  affect  his  followers  ? 

Suggestions  for  Thought  and  Discussion 
What  is  play? 

What  is  the  difference  between  work  and  play? 

What  significance  does  play  have  in  a  human  life?     In  a 

community  ? 

What  are  the  national  aniusementsf 

Can  you  think  of  any  public  amusement  which  cannot  be 
classified  under  one  of  the  headings  given? 

What  is  the  effect  of  the  present  amusement  situation  upon 
the  pure  spirit  of  play? 

25 


[I-s]         CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

In  play,  how  far  can  one  "be  amused"  or  to  what  extent 
must  one  "make  his  own  fun"?  Which  predominates  in  pres- 
ent-day play? 

Does  professionalism  destroy  play  for  its  own  sake? 

To  what  extent  does  the  presence  of  the  spectator  destroy 
the  pure  spirit  of  play? 

How  serious  an  evil  is  spectatoritisf  In  how  many  different 
ways  does  it  manifest  itself  in  college  life? 

In  what  sense  do  strictly  amateur  athletics  now  have  the 
■dangers  of  professional  play? 

Is  the  intercollegiate  athletic  system,  represented  in  a  Yale- 
Harvard  football  game  at  the  Yale  Bowl,  likely  to  be  per- 
manent? 

How  far  is  commercial  management  necessary  to  amuse- 
ments for  all?    What  are  its  good  features?  its  bad  features? 

What  is  the  distinction  between  commercial  management 
and  commercialized  management? 

In  what  phases  of  amusement  can  commercial  manage- 
ment be  dispensed  with? 

Does  commercialized  management  destroy  the  spontaneous 
spirit  of  play? 

Which  is  the  greater  cause  of  immoral  amusements — 
commercial  exploitation  or  the  popular  demand? 

In  what  ways  does  the  amusement  problem  overlap  the 
vice  problem  ? 

Does  the  great  general  public  like  immoral  amusements? 

How  far  can  the  amusement  situation  be  improved  by  public 
opinion^    What  will  be  its  main  points  of  emphasis? 


26 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  CHRISTIAN  CONTRIBUTION  TO 
IMPROVEMENTS 

Restrictive  Public  Opinion 

Public  opinion  is  already  active  in  relation  to  popular 
amusements.  The  exposure  of  a  glaring  evil  is  often  followed 
by  an  outburst  of  popular  indignation,  and  this  in  turn  by 
some  form  of  restrictive  action.  Such  explosions  are  valu- 
able if  they  are  aimed  at  the  real  evil  in  the  case,  for  they 
clear  the  air  and  reassert  the  supremacy  of  moral  issues. 
They  demonstrate  that  the  moral  sense  of  the  community  is 
opposed  to  evil  when  evil  is  exposed  and  clearly  seen. 

Restrictive  public  opinion  aims  to  correct  outstanding 
abuses,  to  maintain  order  and  such  propriety  as  can  be  se- 
cured by  coercive  measures.  It  does  not  seek  to  change  the 
essential  character  of  the  amusement  with  which  it  deals, 
but  contents  itself  with  such  outward  control  as  is  necessary 
to  prevent  expressions  of  lawlessness  and  indecency.  Its  main 
weapons  are  agitation,  and  governmental  regulation  secured 
by  executive  action,  legal  prosecution,  and  increased  legisla- 
tion. 

Restrictive  public  opinion  maintains  that  the  worst  offenders 
against  public  decency  can  be  handled  only  by  the  enforce- 
ment of  adequate  laws.  It  declares  that  there  are  staged  in 
America  every  day  shows  so  vile  and  corrupting  to  youth  that 
only  arrest  and  prosecution  can  reach  the  responsible  person. 
It  declares  that  in  the  worst  public  dance  halls  there  are  name- 
less scenes  enacted  in  the  night  which  society  must  obliterate 
by  its  authorized  officers.  It  cites  the  effective  agitation  in 
California  against  the  Johnson-Jeffries  prize-fight,  and  the 
present  laws  in  other  states  as  illustrations  of  what  it  may 

27 


[11]  CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

accomplish  on  that  phase  of  the  problem.  It  declares  that 
the  worst  of  our  amusement  parks  have  become  the  actual 
summer  headquarters  and  recruiting  stations  of  the  organized 
social  evil,  which  can  be  cleaned  out  only  by  the  most  rigid 
repression.  It  maintains  that  under  the  stress  of  special 
excitement,  evil  suggestion,  or  intoxication,  in  connection  with 
certain  special  amusement  events,  crowds  of  people  often 
commit  acts  of  brutality  which  the  police  alone  can  stop.  It 
maintains  that  only  the  fear  of  the  repressive  and  regulative 
agencies  of  government  as  established  and  backed  by  this  type 
of  public  opinion,  keeps  the  amusement  situation  anywhere 
near  as  clean  as  it  is  in  any  of  its  phases. 

Doubtless  the  limitations  of  restrictive  public  opinion  are 
many,  but  it  is  clearly  indispensable,  nevertheless.  When 
focused  upon  the  actual  evil  in  the  case,  it  furnishes  the  emo- 
tional strength  necessary  to  quicken  public  inertia,  to  curb  the 
forces  of  evil,  and  to  force  mere  intellectual  criticism  into 
activity.  Only  restrictive  action  can  safeguard  the  public 
from  exposure  to  the  worst  forms  of  evil,  and  no  real  solu- 
tion of  the  amusement  problem  will  be  achieved  without  due 
emphasis  being  placed  upon  this  type  of  action. 

Restrictive  public  opinion  in  relation  to  the  problem  as  a 
whole  has  found  an  effective  means  of  control  in  a  system 
of  licenses,  issued  for  the  premises  rather  than  the  man  who 
operates  the  enterprise.  This  makes  possible  an  effective 
regulation  of  conditions  in  respect  to  safety  and  health,  the 
sale  of  liquor,  proper  closing  hours,  an  age  limit  for  young 
people,  and  the  revocation  of  the  license  for  failure  to  comply 
with  laws.  A  system  of  inspection  makes  possible  the  en- 
forcement of  the  conditions  upon  which  the  license  was 
granted,  and  likewise  aids  in  the  operation  of  the  criminal 
law  against  offenders.  As  the  cities  awake  to  their  corporate 
responsibility  for  public  recreation,  a  rapid  increase  in  the 
establishment  of  license  systems  with  inspection  is  taking 
place. 

Any  study  of  restrictive  and  regulative  measures,  enforced 
or  unenforceQ  by  the  agency  of  government,  is  convincing  in 

28 


THE  CHRISTIAN  CONTRIBUTION  [II] 

two  respects.  First,  the  absolute  necessity  of  such  action  is 
apparent  if  the  worst  elements  in  community  life  are  to  be 
restrained  and  open  outbreaks  of  evil  avoided.  Second,  the 
impossibility  of  ever  securing  a  full  solution  of  the  problem 
by  legislation  is  equally  apparent.  It  is  too  complex  and 
human  a  problem  for  that.  If  the  spirit  of  play  is  to  be  fully 
released  to  its  rightful  place  in  American  life,  public  opinion 
must  find  a  deeper  answer  to  these  issues  than  can  ever  be 
expressed  in  agitation  or  governmental  regulation.  They  do 
not  go  to  the  roots  of  the  question. 

Constructive  Public  Opinion 

Constructive  public  opinion  offers  more  fundamental  solu- 
tions; it  does  more  than  restrict  manifest  wickedness;  it 
strives  to  get  at  the  deep-seated  causes  of  the  evils  which 
have  emerged,  and  cut  them  off  at  their  source.  It  seeks  to 
discover  the  normal  human  desire  which  has  been  perverted 
in  its  expression,  and  to  work  for  the  natural  and  wholesome 
expression  of  that  desire.  It  maps  out  a  progressive  program, 
and  seeks  to  hold  public  opinion  of  the  first  type  to  a  pro- 
longed campaign  and  the  support  of  thoroughgoing  solutions. 
Many  friends  of  wholesome  play  are  hard  at  work  in  the 
mood  of  such  constructive  effort  and  are  achieving  tangible 
results.  They  stake  their  case  on  the  absolute  validity  and 
the  fundamental  importance  in  human  life  of  the  beneficent 
instinct  of  play. 

Constructive  pubhc  opinion  starts  its  campaign  with  a  deep 
and  valiant  behef  in  play.  In  season  and  out  of  season  it 
preaches  the  gospel  of  play — an  ample  opportunity  for  whole- 
some pleasure  for  every  man,  woman,  and  child,  in  every 
home,  store,  and  factory  in  America,  and  the  means  of  enjoy- 
ing it  to  the  full  at  least  once  every  week.  The  gospel  of  play 
is  the  beginning  of  wisdom  in  this  whole  matter.  Perhaps 
the  most  fundamental  and  enduring  of  all  solutions  of  the 
problem  lies  in  the  universal  adoption  of  this  gospel,  in  the 
full  development  of  private  recreation  as  over  against  pubhc 

29 


[II]  CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

— private  in  the  sense  that  the  crowd  is  avoided,  that  commer- 
ciaHzed  attractions  are  shunned  and  rehance  placed  upon 
plays  and  games  in  which  personal  skill,  initiative,  wit,  and 
originahty  count.  It  is  to  be  remembered  also  that  in  the 
development  of  the  finer  sides  of  life,  in  the  cultivation  of 
music,  art,  literature,  religion,  and  social  service,  joy  comes 
to  full  fruition.  The  spirit  of  youth  never  had  a  greater 
multitude  of  wholesome  recreations,  easy  of  access,  than  in 
America  to-day. 

It  is  just  here  that  the  significance  of  amateur  athletics  in 
all  their  wide  range  as  a  solution  of  the  problem  is  evident. 
By  their  very  nature  a  sharp  line  is  drawn  against  profes- 
sionalism. The  test  of  the  amateur  is  freedom  from  per- 
sonal commercialization.  Commercialism  is  eHminated,  there- 
fore, when  the  rules  are  observed,  and  only  in  the  case  of 
spectacular  teams  or  great  institutions  where  enormous 
crowds  attend  the  games,  does  commercialization  in  man- 
agement become  a  problem  or  harmful  publicity  develop.  For 
the  rest,  the  pure  love  of  sport  dominates  the  situation,  and 
it  is  the  inherent  nature  of  successful  sport  to  be  morally 
clean.  In  it  the  taint  of  immorality  is  a  fatal  weakness. 
Amateur  athletics  thus  become  not  only  a  magnificent  expres- 
sion of  the  play  spirit,  but  a  positive  and  effective  opponent  of 
the  evil  tendencies  in  prevalent  amusements.  It  would  be 
difficult  to  over-emphasize,  therefore,  the  value  of  amateur 
baseball,  football,  boating,  track  games,  tennis,  swimming, 
tramping,  and  the  like,  in  the  warmer  months ;  and  skating, 
bobbing,  skeeing,  and  gymnasium  games,  such  as  handball  and 
basketball,  in  the  winter  months. 

Add  to  organized  athletics  the  wide  variety  of  other  private 
recreations,  such  as  camping,  riding  and  driving,  the  ancient 
and  honorable  picnic,  fishing  and  hunting,  gardening,  photo- 
graphy, outings,  travel,  woodcraft,  and  nature  study;  and  to 
these  the  pleasure  of  music,  home  games,  private  social 
parties,  minstrel  shows,  and  amateur  theatricals ;  and  through 
them  all  trace  the  perennial  joy  of  natural  love  and  friend- 
ship.   All  these  by  their  healthy  vigor,  their  spontaneity  and 

30 


THE  CHRISTIAN  CONTRIBUTION  [II} 

wit,  their  freedom  from  sordid  commercialism,  and  their 
clean  morality,  may  become  the  rnost  far-reaching  solution 
of  our  present  problem.  How  vital  are  the  restorations  that 
work  out  in  us  when  we  play  with  joyous  absorption! 

Truly  the  gospel  of  play  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom  in  this 
matter,  and  any  parent,  any  person  set  in  authority  over 
young  people,  or  any  employer  of  labor,  who  turns  a  deaf 
ear  to  its  appeal  and  clings  to  the  worn-out  doctrine  of 
repressing  the  play  impulse,  commits  a  grievous  sin  against 
society.  On  the  other  hand,  those  who  use  their  power  to 
enlarge  the  play  life  of  young  people  and  help  to  release  their 
pent  desires  for  healthy  pleasure  are  among  the  saviours  of 
the  race.  It  is  necessary  to  believe  in  play,  despite  the  evils 
which  fasten  themselves  about  it — aye,  the  more  for  that  very 
reason — for  the  spirit  of  youth  and  the  spirit  of  life  are  killed 
where  play  is  denied.  The  gospel  of  play  has  saved  many 
souls  that  were  cast  down  wounded  in  our  over-heated  and 
under-ventilated  order  of  industry,  and  sent  them  back  to 
their  jobs  with  the  highly  moral  purpose  to  "hit  the  line 
hard,"  to  "play  fair,"  and  not  to  be  "quitters."  Organized 
and  competitive  play  is  giving  us  much  of  the  moral  equivalent 
of  war  and  vastly  more  that  war  could  never  give,  and  giving 
it,  moreover,  without  war's  horrors  and  brutalities. 

Constructive  public  opinion  begins  its  crusade  with  the 
gospel  of  play,  but  it  has  also  grappled  with  all  phases  of  this 
problem  and  taken  vigorous  organized  action  in  support  of 
its  ideals.  Many  constructive  efforts  have  been  put  forth, 
such  as  the  Drama  League  and  the  Movement  for  Amateur 
Dramatics ;  increased  provisions  for  wholesome  social  life, 
such  as  those  provided  in  churches,  settlements,  and  social 
centers ;  facilities  for  the  free  development  of  outdoor  recrea- 
tion in  public  parks  and  playgrounds ;  the  festival  pageant 
movement  and  many  other  varied  activities  which  are  included 
in  the  Recreation  Movement  as  a  whole. 

These  various  movements,  representing  public  opinion,  have 
brought  us  on  no  little  distance  in  the  improvement  of  condi- 
tions, and  yet  the  need  of  a  fuller  public  awakening  is  equally 

31 


[II]  CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

evident.  Public  opinion  has  been  far  too  often  spasmodic 
in  its  character,  superficial,  and  lacking  in  coherent  moral 
purpose.  There  must  be  awakened  a  firm,  alert,  and  dominat- 
ing public  conscience  in  relation  to  these  evils. 

IV hy  Study  Christianity? 

We  take  up  the  study  of  Christianity  in  the  hope  of  dis- 
covering in  it  a  power  which  can  meet  the  manifest  need  of 
energizing  the  public  conscience  to  persistent  and  funda- 
mental activity  in  the  full  solution  of  the  problem.  Does  the 
Christian  teaching  contain  the  potency  to  do  this  thing?  Is 
Christianity  socially  effective?  It  is  one  thing  to  discover 
the  need  of  a  complete  public  awakening  to  the  present  situa- 
tion and  the  improvement  of  that  situation  by  pressure  of  the 
public  conscience.  It  is  another  thing  to  energize  and  sustain 
the  public  conscience  to  meet  the  need  with  effective  action. 
The  one  is  a  work  for  sociology,  the  other  a  work  for  reli- 
gion.    Can  the  Christian  religion  do  it? 

Democracy  keeps  throwing  us  back  a  little  farther  each  year 
upon  the  necessity  of  intelligent  public  opinion  as  the  chief 
agent  of  social  reconstruction  and  social  control.  The  battle 
of  battles  in  America  to-day  is  for  the  mastery  of  the  sources 
of  pubHc  opinion.  The  great  newspapers  have  been  generally 
the  servants  of  special  interests.  Press  bureaus  have  guar- 
anteed to  create  popularity  or  hound  a  man  out  of  public 
life  with  amazing  assurance  of  success.  Oratory  is  turned 
on  at  a  fixed  price  per  kilowat  hour.  The  sources  of  public 
opinion  are  the  golden  keys  in  a  democracy.  Have  the  teach- 
ings of  Jesus  any  power  over  public  opinion? 

If  our  study  might  help  to  uncover  here  a  great  force  that 
could  energize  the  public  conscience  and  sustain  it  in  its 
efforts  to  stamp  out  unwholesomeness  in  amusements,  it 
would  be  well.  May  it  not  be  that  these  teachings  still  have 
in  them  the  power  to  overturn  the  established  forms  of  social 
life  as  they  have  done  so  many  times  in  history?  Might  they 
not  energize  the  public  conscience  in  restrictive  and  construc- 

2,^ 


THE  CHRISTIAN  CONTRIBUTION  [II] 

tiv.e  action,  put  a  stop  to  exploitation,  and  release  the  human 
spirit  in  new  eruptions  of  joy? 

We  study  Christianity,  furthermore,  to  rediscover  its  posi- 
tive message  to  the  spontaneous  interests  of  youth.  It  is 
evident  that  all  the  major  questions  of  young  people's  lives 
are  closely  related  to  their  amusements.  Work  and  play, 
friendship,  love,  and  marriage,  the  best  gifts  of  life,  are  all 
bound  up  w^ith  them.  All  their  personal  moral  questions  are 
colored  by  them,  and  these  questions  have  now  become 
exceedingly  complex  in  the  face  of  commercial  offerings. 
This  makes  the  amusements  of  young  people  under  the  condi- 
tions of  modern  life,  especially  in  the  cities,  a  paradoxically 
serious  matter. 

The  prevalent  reaction  against  certain  historic  interpreta- 
tions of  Christianity,  the  well-meaning  prohibitions  of  parents 
and  churches,  and  their  frequent  failure  to  provide  an  ade- 
quate recreation  program  suited  to  present  needs — all  intensify 
the  present  difficulty.  This  may  mean  that  the  whole  of  the 
teaching  in  its  relation  to  youth  is  imperiled,  and  the  working 
morality  of  youth  at  its  point  of  need  left  with  inadequate 
guidance.  The  Christian  religion  is  on  trial  before  the  spirit 
of  youth  to-day  in  America.  Youth  is  insisting  that  the  tests 
of  any  religion  are  not  to  be  separated  from  its  offerings  of 
joy.  It  is  as  necessary  that  Christianity  be  retested  by  the 
perennial  motives  of  youth,  by  motives  of  joy,  as  it  is  for 
the  spirit  of  youth  to  be  all  the  time  tested  by  it.  Christianity 
may  not  survive  without  the  allegiance  of  youth,  certainly 
not  the  Christianity  of  Him  who  said,  "Whosoever  shall  not 
receive  the  Kingdom  of  God  as  a  little  child,  he  shall  in  no 
wise  enter  therein."  Every  youth  has  a  right  to  know  whether 
Christianity  has  an  adequate  answer  to  his  normal  craving 
for  happiness  and  what  that  answer  is.  Must  the  Christian  be 
an  ascetic?  Is  gloom  the  natural  atmosphere  of  the  followers 
of  Christ?  Are  spontaneity  and  laughter  to  be  banished  in 
his  name  and  Christianity  to  be  regarded  only  as  a  discipHne? 
Is  social  stiffness  a  necessary  part  of  Christian  conduct? 
Does  the  graveyard  really  belong  next  ^he  church?     These 


[II]  CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

and  a  host  of  questions  like  them  must  be  answered  with  no 
uncertain  voice.  The  present  inadequate  teaching  of  the 
churches  in  relation  to  the  buoyancy  of  youth  intensifies  the 
seriousness  of  the  present  situation  and  sends  us  to  a  fresh 
study  of  the  teaching  of  Jesus  himself  for  practical  guidance. 
We  study  the  Christian  teaching,  finally,  because  amuse- 
ments are  so  uniquely  personal  in  their  appeal  and  influence. 
We  must  go  deeper  down  into  human  life  than  legislation 
takes  us,  deeper  down  .  than  organization  takes  us,  deeper 
down  than  conventional  conceptions  of  Christianity  take  us, 
if  we  would  find  the  enduring  solutions.  Personal  attitudes 
and  participations  cannot  be  ignored.  They  must  be  shaped 
to  worthy  ends.  Through  them  must  come  the  final  answer 
to  these  social  needs.  This  fact  leads  us  to  seek  a  compelHng 
power  which  can  actually  mold  the  character  and  conduct  of 
individuals,  and  guide  then»  through  the  maze  of  personal 
temptations  with  which  these  enterprises  glitter.  Does  this 
power  lie  imbedded  in  Christianity? 

Christianity  Has  Long  Ministered  to  Individuals 

We  may  take  up  the  study  of  Christian  teaching  with 
hope,  for  it  is  an  open  fact  of  history  that  the  teachings  of 
Jesus  have  already  given  moral  guidance  to  countless  individ- 
uals. Christianity  has  been  widely  criticized  in  recent  years 
as  an  individualistic  religion,  inadequately  social.  Those 
who  criticize  it  thus  bear  unintended  witness  that  Christianity 
does  minister  to  individual  needs.  Christian  history  confirms 
their  testimony.  In  many  lands,  among  many  races,  through 
twenty  centuries,  the  power  of  Christian  teaching  to  be 
a  guide  in  personal  problems  has  been  established.  It  may 
not  have  eradicated  evil,  but  its  enormous  influence  in  the 
improvement  of  individual  character  is  established  by  the 
continuity  of  Christian  experience  in  innumerable  lives.  In 
studying  the  personal  temptations  in  amusements,  therefore, 
we  are  in  the  field  where  Christianity  has  long  made  most 
valuable  contributions. 

34 


THE  CHRISTIAN  CONTRIBUTION  [II] 

Jesus  Recognizes  Sin  and  Temptation  as  Facts  of  Life 
to  he  Met  and  Overcome 

The  beginning  of  the  Christian  answer  to  the  amusement 
situation  lies  in  the  recognition  of  one's  own  personal  wrong- 
doing as  sin. 

"In  the  recreation  problem,"  writes  Professor  Ross,  "the 
conflict  is  not  so  much  between  groups  as  between  warring 
sides  of  human  nature — appetite  and  will,  impulse  and  reason, 
inclination  and  ideal.  Here,  if  anywhere,  is  the  place  for 
ethical  considerations.  The  disposition  of  leisure  time  is  pre- 
eminently a  conscience  matter."  ^ 

This  is  the  section  of  life  in  which  the  colored  glasses  haVe 
to  come  off.  Temptations  have  to  be  seen  and  valued  as 
they  are.  The  rosy  lure  of  commercial  attractions  has  to  be 
seen  against  the  cold  gray  results  of  the  morning  after,  and 
the  enticement  of  certain  appeals  rebuffed  because  they  lead 
straight  into  sin  and  shame.  This  is  the  portion  of  Hfe  in 
which  sin  is  sin,  temptation  is  temptation,  and  no  hazy  think- 
ing is  safe  for  an  instant.  It  is  likewise  the  portion  of  Hfe 
in  which  the  cleverest  tricks  and  devices  are  ever3^where 
employed  to  cloud  the  light  of  accurate  judgment  and  con- 
fuse the  sense  of  moral  values. 

The  teachings,  of  Jesus  present  to  the  study  of  this 
problem  the  sharp  recognition  of  sin  as  sin,  and  bring  to  it 
the  basic  ethical  principles  which  for  centuries  have  called 
men  to  better  lives.  Why  should  any  reasoning  man  desire 
to  evade  straight  thinking  on  these  matters?  For  those  who 
dare  to  face  moral  facts  with  the  same  courage  with  which 
they  face  economic  facts,  the  teachings  of  Jesus  have  truth 
to  reveal.  In  them  there  is  no  evasion  of  that  moral  struggle 
which  is  so  large  a  part  of  the  inward  life. 

The  sense  of  sin  is  no  worn-out  doctrine  of  the  Middle 
Ages.  It  is  now  and  ever  a  fact  of  experience,  sharp  and 
vivid  In  the  hearts  of  those  who  seek  to  live  their  life  at  its 


lEdward  Alsworth  Ross,  Introduction  to  "Popular  Amusements," 

35 


[II]  CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

best.  Jesus  recognized  this  and  made  his  appeal  not  to  emo- 
tion, not  to  creedal  conformity,  not  to  ecclesiastical  adherence, 
but  straight  to  the  wills  of  men.  Only  as  they  face  the 
immoral  temptations  in  amusements  as  sin,  and  set  their  wills 
to  its  overthrow  in  their  lives,  can  the  teaching  of  Jesus  mean 
anything  in  the  solution  of  the  amusement  problem.  Their 
whole  perspective  of  life  shifts  under  Jesus'  high  demand. 

"The  will,  invited  to  this  definite  decision,  becomes  aware 
of  habits  and  tendencies  whose  significance  has  been  unrecog- 
nized and  whose  mastery  has  been  unchecked.  It  is  as  though 
the  landscape  of  life  were  blurred  in  outline  because  seen 
through  an  ill-adjusted  glass,  and  as  though  the  action  of 
the  will  threw  the  picture  of  life  into  focus,  so  that  one  saw 
the  perspective  of  conduct  with  a  new  sense  of  vividness  and 
precision.  As  the  horizon  of  inclination  thus  takes  shape, 
there  comes  to  the  beholders  a  shock  of  surprise  and  shame. 
Gross  and  startling  shapes,  at  once  repelHng  and  irresistible, 
grow  distinct  and  recognizable.  The  action  of  the  will  dis- 
closes an  area  of  conduct  in  which  are  seen  volcanic  craters, 
threatening  an  outpouring  of  evil,  from  which  one  recoils 
with  horror  and  alarm.  Life  which  had  appeared  a  tranquil 
and  orderly  growth  seems  disordered,  divided,  undermined."  ^ 

Victory  over  temptation  and  evil  habit  does  not  come  with- 
out the  full  recognition  and  fearless  branding  of  one's  own 
sin  as  sin.  The  man  whose  moral  problem  is  unsolved  is  the 
man  who  evades  and  dodges  the  truth.  No  real  solution  of 
the  amusement  problem  will  be  found  in  Jesus'  teaching  by 
any  man  who  refuses  to  face  the  true  nature  of  his  own 
amusements,  and  to  change  his  attitudes  and  participations 
in  the  light  of  the  truth  he  finds.  Jesus  carries  the  social  test 
straight  home  to  the  individual  and  never  hoped  to  solve 
a  social  problem  which  could  not  somehow  be  solved  in  a 
human  heart.  Not  until  the  man  who,  under  the  guise  of 
"appreciating  dramatic  art,"  has  been  letting  his  imagination 
run    riot   with    sensual    images,    brands    his    theater-going    as 


iP.  G.  Peabody,  "Jesus  Christ  and  the  Christian  Character,"  pp.  103-104. 
2>6 


THE  CHRISTIAN  CONTRIBUTION  [II] 

sensual,  will  there  be  any  solution  of  the  problem  for  him. 
Not  until  the  athlete  who  has  learned  a  "trick"  by  which  he 
deceives  the  umpire,  brands  his  own  action  as  dishonest,  will 
there  be  any  solution  of  the  problem  for  him.  The  man  who 
goes  out  for  a  night  of  debauch  and  the  degradation  of 
womanhood  under  the  lying  label  of  "a  good  time"  (save  the 
mark!) — how  can  he  begin  to  get  straight  on  the  amusement 
problem  till  he  brands  his  own  sin  as  sin  and  sets  his  will  to 
the  transformation  of  his  own  life? 

In  this  relentless  demand  of  Jesus  that  men  shall  recognize 
their  own  perverse  habits  and  evil  tendencies  as  sin  lies  a 
vast  contribution  to  the  solution  of  all  social  problems ;  and 
the  thoroughgoing  transformation  of  individual  lives  which 
it  necessitates  is  a  mighty  leverage  on  the  evils  involved  in 
popular  amusements. 

Jesus  Justifies  the  True  Expression  of  Every  Normal 
Impulse 

Does  the  demand  of  Jesus  that  sin  and  temptation  be 
branded  for  what  they  are  imply  that  some  of  our  natural 
impulses  are  to  be  denied  expression?  Was  Jesus  an  ascetic? 
Vast  numbers  of  his  followers  have  been  so.  The  first  dis- 
ciples were  a  joyous  company,  "They  took  their  food  with 
gladness  and  singleness  of  heart."  When  the  Holy  Spirit 
came  upon  them  they  were  so  elated  and  acted  so  much  like 
revelers  that  "others  said  'they  are  filled  with  new  wine.' " 
And  yet  the  early  joy  evaporated.  The  irrepressible  gladness 
of  the  first  disciples  was  sadly  lost  through  the  cleavage  be- 
tween the  Christian  and  the  world.  During  long  ages  ascetic 
and  flagellant  banished  all  earthly  pleasure,  mortifying  the 
normal  appetites  of  the  body  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  tantaliz- 
ing the  natural  cravings  for  bodily  comfort,  hunger,  thirst, 
sleep,  and  sex.  They  were  the  heroes  of  the  faith.  Natural 
pleasure  was  the  sin  of  sins.  Spontaneity  was  curbed  and 
laughter  banished  in  his  name.  In  the  eyes  of  countless  fol- 
lowers through  the  ages  he  has  been  as  one  who  never  smiled. 
Monk  and  nun,  Jacobin  and  Puritan,  with  a  host  of  others, 

27 


Ill]  CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

have  through  the  years  marched  past  the  eager  spirit  of  youth 
in  stern  procession,  thinking  thereby  to  do  him  reverence. 
The  miracle  is  that  youth  has  been  so  often  kindled  by  those 
who  spoke  for  him.  Even  in  recent  years,  in  the  eyes  of 
young  people  a  forbidding  negative  has  been  the  attitude  of 
many  who  spoke  in  his  name.  He  has  been  identified  with 
repression  and  restraint.  Mirth  and  a  lively  spirit  have  been 
accounted  unbecoming  in  the  "saints." 

Jesus,  however,  was  no  ascetic.  Intensely  earnest  and  con- 
secrated to  his  task,  absorbed  in  his  mission,  and  yearning  for 
its  fulfilment,  he  yet  was  no  ascetic.  He  dignified  every 
normal  impulse  and  recognized  for  each  a  true  expression. 

"He  did  not  live  as  an  ascetic  himself.  He  himself  tells  us 
that  he  was  reproached  that  he  was  unlike  John  the  Baptist 
in  this,  and  was  called  *a  gluttonous  man  and  a  wine-bibber,' 
because  he»did  not  practise  the  austerities  which  had  made 
John  famihar.  Nothing  could  be  more  illuminating  on 
Christ's  life  -in  this  respect  than  that  criticism,  which  he 
accepts  as  marking  him  off  in  the  popular  mind  from  John. 
He  knew  that  he  was  misunderstood  and  that  he  laid  him- 
self open  to  grave  objections  by  refusing  to  lay  stress  on  the 
outward  rules,  which  the  Pharisees  and  the  disciples  of  the 
Baptist  thought  so  important.  .  .  .  They  could  not  reconcile 
the  high  demands  of  holiness  which  he  preached  with  the 
sweet  and  sunny  and  natural  life  he  lived.  .  .  .  The  records 
are  full  of  his  social  intercourse  with  all  sorts  of  peo'ple,  rich 
and  poor,  saint  and  sinner.  He  accepted  invitations  to  feasts ; 
went  to  a  marriage ;  sat  down  to  dinner  with  hospitable 
Pharisees ;  was  a  frequent  visitor  at  the  house  of  Martha  and 
Mary  at  Bethany.  He  had  the  instinctive  human  longing  for 
companionship,  which  made  him  desire  to  have  some  of  the 
disciples  with  him  at  the  great  crises  of  his  life.  No  one 
can  read  the  Gospels  with  an  unprejudiced  eye,  without  feel- 
ing how  preposterous  is  the  ascetic  contention  that  it  is  based 
on  the  requirements  of  the  Christian  life."  ^ 

Let  it  never  seem  incongruous  then  to  think  of  Jesus  in  the 


Hugh  Black,  "Culture  and  Restraint,"  pp.  311-313- 
38 


THE  CHRISTIAN  CONTRIBUTION  [II] 

midst  of  wholesome  merry-making.  Read  the  story  freshly. 
Catch  his  spontaneity  and  sense  of  humor,  his  flashing  sally 
and  retort.  Share  his  relish  for  the  out-of-doors,  his  com- 
panionship with  children,  his  high  mood  of  fellowship  in  a 
bridegroom's  joy.  The  charm  of  a  rich  personality  is 
always  evanescent,  baffling  description,  yet  he  who  runs  may 
read  that  Jesus  was,  beyond  the  power  of  the  records  to 
describe  him,  a  radiant  personality. 

But  Jesus  not  only  radiated  happiness ;  he  lived  it  into 
the  lives  of  other  people.  His  message  to  humanity  is  a 
message  of  "good  tidings."  How  often  such  words  as  these 
were  on  his  lips :  "Blessed  are  ye  that  weep  now :  for  ye 
shall  laugh."  "If  ye  know  these  things,  blessed  are  ye  if  ye 
do  them."  "Rejoice,  and  be  exceeding  glad."  "Your  sorrow 
shall  be  turned  into  joy."  "Rejoice  in  that  day,  and  leap  for 
joy."  "Can  the  sons  of  the  bride  chamber  fast,  while  the 
bridegroom  is  with  them?"  "These  things  have  I  spoken  unto 
you,  that  my  joy  may  be  in  you,  and  that  your  joy  may  be 
made  full."  "I  will  see  you  again,  and  your  heart  shall  rejoice, 
and  your  joy  no  one  taketh  away  from  you." 

This  enduring  joy  of  Jesus  reaches  the  loftiest  heights  and 
sweeps  his  followers  up  with  him  to  profound  experiences  of 
spiritual  exaltation,  but  it  never  denies  the  validity  of  any 
wholesome  happiness  which  it  surpasses. 

Jesus  justifies  the  true  expression  of  every  normal  impulse. 
He  reveals  the  "native  joy  of  all  sentient  beings"  as  divine 
in  origin : 

".    .    .   the  cool  silver  shock 
Of  the  plunge  in  a  pool's  living  water," 

and  every  other  thrill  of  bodily  exercise  is  Christian  pleas- 
ure. Flashes  of  humor,  flights  of  imagination,  thrusts  of 
argument,  upleaping  emotions,  and  the  pure  loves  of  men  and 
women  and  children — these  are  Christian  joys.  Jesus  vahdates 
the  whole  of  human  life  in  every  true  expression  and  calls 
it  to  its  best. 

What  then  are  true  expressions  of  the  normal  impulses? 
How  daring  is  Jesus'  answer  to  this  question !     He  leaves  it 

39 


[II]  CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

to  the  individual  to  decide.  In  no  other  way  could  he  have 
shown  a  greater  faith  in  human  nature.  He  lays  down  no 
rules,  requires  no  ritual,  no  ceremonial  practices.  His  own 
example,  his  majestic  teachings,  and  his  continuing  presence — 
these  he  gives  to  his  followers  and  then  leaves  them  wholly 
free  to  exercise  "the  liberty  that  is  in  Christ." 

And  yet  his  life,  his  principles,  and  his  presence  make  clear 
the  yearning  of  his  desire.  He  himself  had  a  "manner  of 
life"  and  his  desire  for  all  his  men  was  truly  voiced  when 
Paul  wrote  to  the  Philippians,  "Only  let  your  manner  of  life 
be  worthy  of  the  good  tidings  of  Christ."  No  one  has  a 
right  to  map  out  the  manner  of  life,  in  the  name  of  Christ, 
for  another  human  soul,  but  as  his  followers  achieve  it 
worthily  for  themselves  by  the  imitation  of  his  life,  the  study 
of  his  principles  and  the  practice  of  his  presence,  they  learn 
what  is  for  them  the  true  expression  of  every  normal  impulse, 
the  true  satisfaction  of  every  normal  desire. 

Jesiis  Assigns  to  Amusements  Their  True  Importance 

Since  Jesus  justifies  the  true  expression  of  every  normal 
impulse  and  gives  this  "liberty  that  is  in  Christ,"  does  he 
mean  that  a  man  is  free  to  do  what  he  will?  If  so,  why  not 
let  one's  impulses  express  themselves  in  any  fashion  they 
please?  Why  not  turn  the  tables  on  asceticism  and  make  the 
satisfaction  of  desire  the  end  of  life?  Why  not  be  Epicurean 
along  with  the  countless  throngs  who  put  the  pursuit  of 
pleasure  above  all  other  ends? 

To  such  a  mood  as  this  there  comes  the  reply  that — 

"The  Epicurean's  varied  and  spontaneous  joy  in  life  is  not 
diminished,  but  enhanced,  by  the  Christian  spirit,  which 
multipHes  this  joy  as  many  times  as  there  are  persons  whom 
one  knows  and  loves.  The  Epicurean  lives  in  a  Httle  world 
of  himself,  and  a  few  equally  self-centered  companions.  The 
Christian  hves  in  the  great  world  of  God,  and  shares  its  joys 
with   all   God's   human   children.     It   is   the   absence   of   this 

40 


THE  CHRISTIAN  CONTRIBUTION  [II] 

larger  world,  the  exclusive  concern  for  his  own  narrow  pleas- 
ures, that  make  the  consistent  Epicurean,  with  all  his  pohsh 
and  charm,  the  essentially  mean  and  despicable  creature  we 
find  him  to  be."  ^ 

In  further  contrast  to  the  Epicurean  who  makes  pleasure 
the  end  of  life,  the  teaching  of  Jesus  reveals  a  different 
emphasis  which,  while  it  validates  pleasure,  makes  it  a  sec- 
ondary rather  than  a  primary  end.  Jesus,  like  others  with 
unified  personaHty,  organized  his  life  about  a  central  prin- 
ciple. As  other  men  are  led  by  desire  for  gain,  the  quest  of 
knowledge,  or  the  love  of  pleasure,  Jesus  concentrated  his 
attention  on  the  establishment  of  the  Christian  Order  in  the 
life  of  the  world — the  Kingdom  of  God  on  earth,  a  reign  of 
peace  and  joy.  By  the  achievement  of  this  end  human  happi- 
ness would  be  immeasurably  increased.  To  this  end  he 
revealed  the  Fatherhood  of  God.  To  this  end  he  taught  and 
sacrificed.  To  this  end  he  submitted  to  the  Cross,  and  to  this 
same  end  he  still  speaks  in  the  lives  of  men  who  follow  him. 

"Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  his  righteousness; 
and  all  these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you"  (Matt.  6:33). 
This  is  the  principle  by  which  Jesus  intended  his  men  to  come 
to  a  sense  of  proportion  on  relative  values  in  life.  This  is 
the  clue  to  Jesus'  own  perspective  on  all  the  varying  appeals 
that  came  to  him.  To  this  test  he  brought  every  solicitation 
of  secondary  things,  for  he  was  in  the  world  for  nothing  else 
so  much  as  to  reveal  to  men  the  Fatherly  character  of  God 
that  a  righteous  social  order  might  prevail.  This  is  the  high 
point  of  emphasis  in  Jesus'  teaching  from  which  any  man  may 
look  afar  with  good  perspective  on  all  the  motives  and  habits 
of  his  life.  The  real  Christian  focuses  his  vision  through 
some  such  lens  as  this :  "I  will  live  my  life,  under  God,  for 
others  rather  than  myself,  for  the  advancement  of  the  King- 
dom of  God  rather  than  my  personal  happiness."  The  man 
who  sees  every  portion  of  his  life  with  the  perspective  of 
such  a  purpose  will  have  no  difficulty  in  getting  Jesus'  point 


William  DeWitt  Hyde,  "From  Epicurus  to  Christ,"  pp.  267-268. 
41 


[II]  CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

of  view  on  popular  amusements.  He  will  see  how  trivial  the 
mere  pursuit  of  pleasure  becomes  in  the  presence  of  the  dark 
problems  of  human  need. 

This  principle  guides  the  Christian  man  in  the  use  of  his 
time.  He  who  seeks  first  to  do  his  share  in  making  the 
present  order  Christian  will  spend  all  the  time  he  needs  in 
recreation  and  enjoy  it  to  the  full,  to  lay  the  foundations  of 
life-long  health,  and  to  maintain  his  powers  at  their  best 
with  snap  and  vigor,  but  not  more.  He  will  not  waste  a  day 
or  an  hour  while  the  Christian  order  comes  so  slowly. 

This  principle  guides  the  Christian  man  in  the  use  of 
money.  Part  of  one's  budget  every  month,  however  small, 
will  go  to  freshening  the  sources  of  life  in  a  genuine  re-crea- 
tion of  power.  But  no  money  will  be  flung  away  in  a  mood 
of  careless  or  selfish  spending.  And  yet  the  box-office  totals 
in  any  Christian  community  show  how  little  this  principle  has 
yet  been  applied  to  the  use  of  money. 

This  principle  also  guides  in  the  quality  of  recreation  which 
is  to  be  selected,  and  here  it  becomes  in  reality  a  decisive 
factor,  determining  in  large  measure  the  very  quality  of  one's 
life.  Commercial  amusements  supply  for  the  most  part  only 
a  tantalizing  appeal  to  the  sensations,  even  when  they  are  free 
from  alcoholic  stimulant.  Curiosity  thrills,  and  superficial 
ticklings,  spectator's  flushes  of  excitement,  red  peppered  food 
and  dancing,  high  voltage  currents  for  nerves  already  dead- 
ened— these  are  the  common  characteristics  of  commercial- 
ized offerings.  Over  against  these  vapid  things  set  the  joy- 
ous re-creation  of  life  which  is  Christian ;  set  the  spontaneity 
of  an  unspoiled  human  spirit  releasing  its  normal  impulses  in 
play;  set  a  thousand  and  one  activities  of  play  which  Hght  up 
the  faces  of  tired  men  and  women  and  send  them  on  re- 
freshed for  the  work  of  another  day. 

But  beyond  these,  this  principle  calls  men  to  the  profound- 
est  experiences  of  joy  that  are  known  to  human  Hfe.  At 
the  highest  remove  from  ticklings  of  sensation  is  the  radi- 
ance of  Jesus'  mood,  on  that  last  black  night  of  his  Hfe  when 
he  talked  with  his  men  in  quietness  about  his  joy.     Think  of 

42 


THE  CHRISTIAN  CONTRIBUTION  [II] 

the  facts  of  that  last  night  of  his  life !  The  months  of  his 
daring  speech  are  over.  To  all  appearances  he  has  failed. 
His  popularity  has  waned.  The  crowd  has  deserted  him.  His 
war  with  the  priests  and  Pharisees  is  nearly  over.  The  net 
of  their  power  narrows  about  him.  Judas  has  already  gone 
out.  This  very  night  the  rest  have  shown  again  their  failure  to 
understand  him,  despite  the  fellowship  and  lavished  affection. 
He  knows  that  Peter  will  disown  him  and  the  rest  desert  him. 
Alone,  indeed,  and  young  as  he  is,  a  lover  of  life,  now  to  be 
cut  down  in  the  morning  of  his  power,  to  be  crucified  like  a 
thief ;  and  yet  he  speaks  with  his  men  in  quietness  about  his 
joy.  The  vision  of  the  Kingdom  is  branded  as  a  dream.  His 
5'^earnings  for  the  brotherhood  of  man  are  beaten  back  within 
him.  The  love  that  has  given  itself  with  abandon  is  rejected — 
and  yet  he  speaks  with  his  men  in  quietness  about  his  joy. 
*T  will  not  leave  you  desolate ;  I  come  unto  you.  Peace  I 
leave  with  you ;  my  peace  I  give  unto  you.  These  things  have 
I  spoken  unto  you  that  my  joy  may  be  in  you,  and  that  your 
joy  may  be  fulfilled." 

These  are  the  depths  and  heights  of  human  experience, 
and  Jesus  expected  all  his  men  to  plumb  the  depths  of  this 
same  joy  and  to  rise  to  these  exalted  heights,  because  they 
were  to  have  companionship  in  the  same  purpose  of  life  and 
could  surely  know  that  whatever  happened  to  their  individ- 
ual lives,  the  mighty  power  of  the  Everlasting  God  was  bound 
to  go  on  achieving  the  Christian  Social  Order. 

Thus  Jesus,  through  this  high  principle  of  life,  let  his  men 
into  a  double  secret — the  secret  of  the  Christian  perspective 
on  amusements,  and  the  far  deeper  secret  of  entrance  into 
the  profoundest  joy  humanity  can  know.  Any  man  who 
unreservedly  commits  his  life  to  Christ  learns  this  double 
secret,  for  Jesus  leads  his  men  to  face  their  personal  temp- 
tations, to  choose  their  recreations,  and  to  do  their  work  in 
the  world,  in  the  true  perspective  of  his  own  purpose.  "Seek 
ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  his  righteousness ;  and  all 
these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you." 

This  perspective  of  the  Kingdom  will  guide  us  in  the  study 

43 


[II-i]       CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

of  personal  temptations  and   Christian  principles  in  relation 
to  the  different  forms  of  amusement. 


Daily  Readings 

1.  It  staggers  the  Imagination  to  think  of  the  myriad  of 
individuals  to  whom  Christianity  has  ministered  through  de- 
voted men  and  vv^omen.    Jesus  gives  here  a  great  example. 

Jesus  made  answer  and  said,  A  certain  man  was 
going  down  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho ;  and  he  fell 
among  robbers,  who  both  stripped  him  and  beat  him, 
and  departed,  leaving  him  half  dead.  And  by  chance 
a  certain  priest  was  going  down  that  way:  and  when 
he  saw  him,  he  passed  by  on  the  other  side.  And  in 
like  manner  a  Levite  also,  when  he  came  to  the  place, 
and  saw  him,  passed  by  on  the  other  side.  But  a  cer- 
tain Samaritan,  as  he  journeyed,  came  where  he  was: 
and  when  he  saw  him,  he  was  moved  with  compassion, 
and  came  to  him,  and  bound  up  his  wounds,  pouring 
on  them  oil  and  wine ;  and  he  set  him  on  his  own 
beast,  and  brought  him  to  an  inn,  and  took  care  of 
him.  And  on  the  morrow,  he  took  out  two  shillings, 
and  gave  them  to  the  host,  and  said.  Take  care  of 
him ;  and  whatsoever  thou  spendest  more,  I,  when  I 
come  back  again,  will  repay  thee.  Which  of  these 
three,  thinkest  thou,  proved  neighbor  unto  him  that 
fell  among  the  robbers?  And  he  said.  He  that 
showed  mercy  on  him.  And  Jesus  said  unto  him.  Go, 
and  do  thou  likewise. — Luke  lo :  30-37. 

Did  you  skip  the  last  sentence? 

2.  Why  do  men  use  nicknames  for  their  own  sins:  "swip- 
ing" and  "cribbing"  for  stealing ;  "piped"  for  drunkenness : 
"squibbing"  for  lying — these  and  many  more?  In  what  sense 
is  the  process  of  repentance  the  branding  of  your  own  sin 
by  the  same  name  which  society  uses  for  it? 

44 


THE  CHRISTIAN  CONTRIBUTION         [II-3] 

What  else  does  repentance  involve? 

Jesus  put  first  things  first  in  his  preaching. 

Now  after  John  was  delivered  up,  Jesus  came  into 
Galilee,  preaching  the  gospel  of  God,  and  saying,  The 
time  is  fulfilled,  and  the  kingdom  of  God  is  at  hand : 
repent  ye,  and  believe  in  the  gospel, — Mark  i :  14,  15. 

Have  I  put  first  things  first  in  my  life? 

3.  Let  these  words  answer  those  who  hold  to  Christianity 
only  as  a  discipline  of  hard-and-fast  rules. 

How  does  he  crown  the  beautiful  expression  of  a  woman's 
impulse  of  affection? 

And  while  he  was  in  Bethany  in  the  house  of 
.  Simon  the  leper,  as  he  sat  at  meat,  there  came  a 
woman  having  an  alabaster  cruse  of  ointment  of  pure 
nard  very  costly;  and  she  brake  the  cruse,  and 
poured  it  over  his  head.  But  there  were  some  that 
had  indignation  among  themselves,  saying.  To  what 
purpose  hath  this  waste  of  the  ointment  been  made? 
For  this  ointment  might  have  been  sold  for  above 
three  hundred  shillings,  and  given  to  the  poor.  And 
they  murmured  against  her.  But  Jesus  said.  Let  her 
alone;  why  trouble  ye  her?  she  hath  wrought  a  good 
work  on  me.  For  ye  have  the  poor  always  with  you, 
and  whensoever  ye  will  ye  can  do  them  good :  but  me 
ye  have  not  always. — Mark  14 :  2-7' 

4.  Contrast  the  attitude  of  the  prevalent  "free  spending" 
upon  amusements  with  the  use  of  money  that  Jesus  com- 
mends. 

And  he  sat  down  over  against  the  treasury,  and 
beheld  how  the  multitude  cast  money  into  the  treas- 
ury :  and  many  that  were  rich  cast  in  much.  And 
there  came  a  poor  widow,  and  she  cast  in  two  mites, 
which  make  a  farthing.  And  he  called  unto  him  his 
disciples,  and  said  unto  them.  Verily  I  say  unto  you. 
This  poor  widow  cast  in  more  than  all  they  that  are 

45 


[II-5]       CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

casting  into  the  treasury:  for  they  all  did  cast  in  of 
their  superfluity;  but  she  of  her  want  did  cast  in  all 
that  she  had,  even  all  her  living. — Mark  12:41-44. 

Have  I  submitted  my  use  of  money  to  the  test  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  Jesus? 

5.  Who  better  than  Jesus  himself  has  described  the  com- 
mon "eat,  drink,  and  be  merry"  type  of  man — the  man  whose 
own  comfort  gives  him  his  perspective  on  relative  values  of 
life?     Jesus  spots  the  flaw  in  the  lens.     What  is  it? 

And  he  spake  a  parable  unto  them,  saying.  The 
ground  of  a  certain  rich  man  brought  forth  plenti- 
fully :  and  he  reasoned  within  himself,  saying,  W^hat 
shall  I  do,  because  I  have  not  where  to  bestow  my 
fruits  ?  And  he  said.  This  will  I  do :  I  will  pull  down  . 
my  barns,  and  build  greater ;  and  there  will  I  bestow 
all  my  grain  and  my  goods.  And  I  will  say  to  my 
soul,  Soul,  thou  hast  much  goods  laid  up  for  many 
years ;  take  thine  ease,  eat,  drink,  be  merry.  But  God 
said  unto  him.  Thou  foolish  one,  this  night  is  thy 
soul  required  of  thee ;  and  the  things  which  thou  hast 
prepared,  whose  shall  they  be?  So  is  he  that  layeth 
up  treasure  for  himself,  and  is  not  rich  toward  God. 
— Luke  12:  16-21. 

6.  What  sort  of  happiness  do  they  have  who  gain  the 
perspective  on  life  which  goes  with  the  purpose  of  the  King- 
dom? 

Seek  not  ye  what  ye  shall  eat,  and  what  ye  shall 
drink,  neither  be  ye  of  doubtful  mind.  For  all  these 
things  do  the  nations  of  the  world  seek  after :  but 
your  Father  knoweth  that  ye  have  need  of  these 
things.  Yet  seek  ye  his  kingdom,  and  these  things 
shall  be  added  unto  you.  Fear  not,  little  flock ;  for  it 
is  your  Father's  good  pleasure  to  give  you  the  king- 
dom.— Luke  12 :  29-32. 

7.  Are  those  whose  lives  have  been  marred  by  pain  and 

46 


THE  CHRISTIAN  CONTRIBUTION         [II-s] 

suffering    freed    from    the    law    of    joy?      Not    so    with    the 
stricken  man  who   sang — 

"If  I  have  faltered  more  or  less 
In  my  great  task  of  happiness, 
If  I  have  moved  among  my  race 
And  shown  no  glorious  morning  face ; 
If  beams   from  happy  human  eyes 
Have  moved  me  not ;  if  morning  skies, 
Books,  and  my  food,  and  summer  rain 
Knocked  at  my  sullen  heart  in  vain : 
Lord,  thy  most  pointed  pleasure  take, 
And  stab  my  spirit  broad  awake ; 
Or,  Lord,  if  too  obdurate  I, 
Choose  thou  before  that  spirit  die, 
A  piercing  pain,  a  killing  sin 
And  to  my  dead  heart  run  them  in !" 
— Robert  Louis  Stevenson:  "The  Celestial  Surgeon." 

It  must  be  that  all  men  and  women  are  meant  to  achieve 
the  joy  which  is  in  Christ. 

And  ye  therefore  now  have  sorrow :  but  I  will 
see  you  again,  and  your  heart  shall  rejoice,  and  your 
joy  no  one  taketh  away  from  you.  And  in  that  day 
ye  shall  ask  me  no  question.  Verily,  verily,  L  say 
unto  you.  If  ye  shall  ask  anything  of  the  Father,  he 
will  give  it  you  in  my  name.  Hitherto  have  ye  asked 
nothing  in  my  name :  ask,  and  ye  shall  receive,  that 
your  joy  may  be  made  full. — John  16:22-24. 

Suggestions  for  Thought  and  Discussion 

What  is  the  relation  of  public  opinion  to  the  amusement  sit- 
uation f 

How  far  is  the  public  attitude  in  regard  to  these  evils 
responsible  for  them? 

Would  it  be  possible  for  an  active  public  opinion  to  trans- 
form the  situation? 

How  sensitive  is  the  pocketbook  nerve  of  commercial  man- 
agement to  pubHc  demands? 

47 


[II-s]       CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

How  does  public  opinion  make  itself  feUf 

What  are  the  characteristic  expressions  of  restrictive  public 
opinion?  How  bad  must  a  situation  be  before  restrictive 
pubhc  opinion  wakes  up?     How  long  does  it  stay  awake? 

Why  is  restrictive  public  action  necessary?  How  long 
w^ill  it  continue  to  be  needed? 

What  are  the  distinctive  differences  between  constructive 
and  restrictive  public  opinion?  If  constructive  public  opin- 
ion is  alert,  is  restrictive  action  still  necessary? 

How  many  people  have  become  so  dependent  upon  com- 
mercial amusements  that  they  do  not  know  how  to  play  with- 
out buying  amusement?  How  is  this  revealed  in  the  compara- 
tive use  by  adults  of  free  public  parks  and  commercial 
amusement  resorts? 

What  responsibility  have  the  home,  the  church,  and  the 
school  for  developing  play  resources  in  children  which  make 
for  independence  of  commercial  amusements? 

How  are  friendly  athletics  especially  important  in  the  im- 
provement of  the  situation? 

What  contribution  has  Christianity  for  the  amusement  situa- 
tion? 

How  far  has  it  contributed  to  restrictive  and  constructive 
public  efforts? 

To  what  degree  is  Christianity  essential  to  the  full  solu- 
tion of  the  problem? 

What  tricks  and  devices  are  employed  to  obscure  the  true 
moral  character  of  many  commercial  amusements?  What  is 
the  message  of  Christianity  in  regard  to  them? 

What  personal  demands  do  the  teachings  of  Jesus  make 
of  one  who  would  share  in  the  Christian  solution  of  the 
problem? 

Wliat  human  impulses  does  Christianity  brand  as  wrong? 

Are  the  Christian  guides  for  determining  the  true  expres- 
sion of  an  impulse  adequate? 

What  are  the  essential  differences  between  the  experience  of 
being  amused  and  of  coming  to  a  realisation  of  Christian 


48 


CHAPTER    III 

DRAMATIC  MISREPRESENTATIONS 

OF  LIFE  AND  THE  CHRISTIAN 

TRUTH-ABOUT-LIFE 

Serious  Drama — Its  Nature  and  Purpose 

Serious  drama,  defined  as  "a  sincere  portrayal  of  life  by 
imitation  in  action,"  answers  as  a  fine  art  to  a  persistent 
human  interest,  an  interest  in  the  meaning  of  the  human 
story  with  its  varied  motives,  characters,  and  conditions.  It 
depends  upon  a  play  which  is  a  representation  of  life,  upon 
actors  who  possess  some  measure  of  artistic  skill,  and  upon 
ah  audience  which  has  at  least  some  degree  of  serious 
interest.  It  is,  as  its  name  implies,  an  effort  to  give  a  true 
expression  of  the  dramatic  impulse.  Its  purpose  is  primarily 
to  give  recreation  in  the  full  sense  of  the  w^ord,  and  it 
achieves  its  purpose  in  either  tragedy  or  comedy  by  the 
effective  substitution  of  the  world  of  imagination  presented 
on  the  stage  for  the  matter-of-fact  worlds  in  which  the 
members  of  the  audience  live.  It  releases  them  in  flight 
beyond  the  stern  borders  to  which  life  has  brought  them, 
and  thrills  them  with  some  bit  of  the  human  story  which 
might  be  their  own. 

Misrepresentations  of  Life  in  Dramatic  Amusements 

Serious  drama,  despite  its  high  purpose  and  possibilities, 
falls  far  below  its  own  standards,  as  presented  in  the  great 
mass  of  commercial  theaters  in  America.  Grouped  with  it 
for  our  consideration  also  are  other  phases  of  dramatic 
entertainment   which   lack   the   dignity   and   quality   which    it 

49 


[Ill]        CHRISTIANITY' AND  AMUSEMENTS 

possesses.  The  present  situation  throughout  the  dramatic 
group  indeed  is  characterized  by  widespread  misrepresenta- 
tions of  the  human  story.  Scores  of  popular  plays  do  not 
tell  the  truth  about  life.  They  do  not  present  an  accurate 
picture  of  human  experience.  The  satisfactions  permitted 
by  playwrights  to  their  characters  could  not  be  known  by 
them  in  life  itself.  The  results  of  human  action  as  por- 
trayed are  not  the  results  of  such  action  as  experienced. 
The  audience  is  therefore  led  to  generalize  falsely  about  the 
laws  of  human  life.  For  example,  a  life  of  license  is  pictured 
as  a  life  of  liberty  and  joy.  Remorse  and  the  broken  years 
are  obscured.  Thus  infidelity  is  made  to  seem  "not  so  bad," 
even  "justifiable  under  certain- conditions."  The  blasted  child 
and  the  life-long  suffering  are  permitted  to  be  forgotten. 
The  picture  is  simply  not  a  true  picture. 

Audiences  are  everywhere  tempted  to  believe  a  variety  of 
lies  about  life  such  as  these:  "Happy  are  they  who  follow 
their  own  desires  now,  for  they  shall  taste  all  the  joys  of 
life."  ■  "The  love  of  money  is  the  root  of  all  the  roses." 
"Cleverness  covers  a  multitude  of  sins."  "Blessed  is  he  who 
gets  away  with  the  stuff."  The  theater  is  responsible  for  per- 
suasive portrayals  of  a  host  of  lies  like  these,  and  in  no  sm.all 
measure  for  their  wide  acceptance  among  the  people. 

But  perhaps  the  most  damning  lie  of  which  this  group 
of  amusements  is  guilty  is  that  which  hides  in  the  cynicism 
of  certain  plays,  especially  burlesque  and  musical  comedies. 
It  is  well  described  by  one  who  says :  "The  cynical  ideas 
which  are  accepted  as  the  current  coin  of  comedy,  the  low 
ideas  which  are  supposed  to  animate  everybody,  the  sordid 
acceptance  of  pecuniary  standards,  the  universal  mendacity 
ascribed  to  human  nature  in  a  fix,  the  mutual  deception  of 
spouses,  the  pervasive  wink,  the  sniggering  acquiescence  in 
a  human  nature  infinitely  below  the  best  standards  of  our 
race — all  this  presented  steadily,  year  in,  year  out,  in  a 
thousand  theaters,  must  be  perpetually  corroding  and  under- 
mining all  the  ideals  for  which  the  churches  are  fighting." 

The  playwright  and  actor  who  join  in  this  malicious  attack 

50 


DRAMATIC  MISREPRESENTATIONS         [III] 

upon  faith  in  human  virtue,  and  who  trick  an  audience  into 
confusion  about  the  laws  of  life,  have  done  an  evil  thing,  for 
the  truth  about  life  is  the  most  priceless  asset  of  the  human 
race,  long  lived  for  and  died  for  by  noble  men  and  women. 
Nothing  is  more  sacred.  Our  lives  depend  upon  it.  The 
fabric  of  civilization  is  wrought  of  it,  and  when  men  and 
women  believe  lies  in  place  of  it,  the  social  order  rots  out. 

Another  misrepresentation  of  life  in  the  dramatic  amuse- 
ment group  is  close  akin,  namely,  the  preservation  of  scenes 
which  are  sensually  suggestive,  which  convey  a  perverted 
conception  of  life.  Every  type  of  commercial  dramatic  amuse- 
ment reveals  this  taint  to  a  greater  or  less  degree,  and  many 
productions  depend  upon  little  else  to  hold  attention.  Even 
in  high  grade  theaters  some  of  the  plays  presented  offer 
little  more  than  a  series  of  highly  colored  scenes  full  of 
voluptuous  suggestion,  under  the  guise  of  dramatic  art.  In 
downward  scale  to  the  undisguised  exhibition  of  lewd  dances 
in  cheap  burlesque  and  vaudeville  shows,  there  range  all 
varieties  of  song  and  dance,  posture  and  gesture,  dialogue 
and  chorus  which  are  frequently  animated  by  no  other  motive 
than  that  of  sex  suggestion.    * 

Burlesque,  cheap  vaudeville,  and  musical  farce  comedies 
may  be  the  worst  offenders,  but  the  degree  to  which  the 
taint  has  spread  throughout  the  whole  dramatic  group  is 
nothing  short  of  alarming  to  those  who  hold  high  ideals  for 
dramatic  art  and  would  be  loyal  to  Christian  conceptions  of 
the  meaning  and  value  of  human  life. 

The  temptation  to  watch,  to  listen  to,  and  dwell  upon 
suggestive  scenes,  in  the  nature  of  the  case  appeals  to  men 
with  singular  power  and  immediacy.  It  is  to  the  passions  of 
men,  especially  young  men,  that  the  suggestion  is  almost 
wholly  directed.  It  is  made  to  an  impulse  which  needs  no 
stimulation,  to  an  impulse  which  with  great  numbers  of  men, 
is  still  unrationalized  in  its  expressions  and  which,  under  the 
manifold  excitements  of  modern  life,  needs  vigorous  control 
by  all  the  best  powers  of  heart  and  mind.  It  cannot  be 
doubted    that    those    who    bring    the    magnifying    power    of 

51 


[Ill]         CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

dramatic  portrayal  to  the  service  of  forces  that  work  for 
licentiousness  are  spreading  immorality  broadcast  and  cater- 
ing directly  to  the  organized  business  of  prostitution. 

These  temptations  of  the  dramatic  group  are  both  tempta- 
tions of  seeing  and  hearing — temptations  of  receptivity  rather 
than  of  action.  They  are  all  involved  in  the  choice  of  that 
to  which  one  yields  his  powers  of  attention,  and  constitute 
the  fundamental  moral  issue  in  dramatic  amusements,  which 
is  the  temptation  to  yield  attention  by  eye  and  ear  to  that 
which  is  unw^orthy.  Dramatic  impressions  are  by  their  nature 
sharp  and  compelling;  eye  and  ear  are  so  played  upon  by 
vivid  portrayals  that  gateways  to  the  deeper  emotions  open, 
and  the  inner  life  lies  bare.  When  the  untrue  and  the 
sensual  are  persistently  presented  and  closely  attended  to, 
disastrous  results  are  sure  to  follow  by  the  working  of  natural 
laws.  When  the  truth  about  life  is  distorted  and  moral 
values  perverted,  a  whole  series  of  base  impressions  are 
received  by  eye  and  ear  which  must  in  turn  have  corre- 
sponding expressions  in  conduct. 

The  Principles  of  Jesus  in  Relation  to  These  Tempta- 
tions 

The  Guarded  Eye  and  Ear 

Against  this  fundamental  temptation  involved  in  all  types 
of  commercial  dramatic  amusement,  to  give  attention  to  mis- 
representations of  life,  Jesus  sets  the  principle  of — The 
Guarded  Eye  and  Ear. 

Jesus  values  above  all  else  the  inner  fastnesses  of  a  man's 
life  and  the  gateways  leading  to  them.  Early  in  his  career 
of  public  speaking  he  showed  his  grasp  of  the  problem  of 
attention  when  he  said : 

If  any  man  hath   ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear.  .  .  . 
Take  heed  what  ye  hear.  .  .  .—Mark  4:  22,  24. 

Take    heed    therefore    how    ye    hear. — Luke    8:18. 

52 


DRAMATIC  MISREPRESENTATIONS         [III] 

Obviously  he  knew  that  the  gates  of  the  mind  were  to  be 
stormed  by  sights  and  sounds  breeding  sin.  At  the  best, 
evil  would  gain  entrance.  After  every  guard  had  been  set 
and  every  lock  bolted,  evil  would  yet  steal  in.  Whatever 
the  defenses  might  be,  some  arrows  of  evil  would  pierce 
them  through.  But  the  doors  need  not  be  opened  from 
within,  no  invitation  need  issue  forth.  Again  and  again 
through  the  crowded  days  as  he  dealt  bare-handed  with 
evil,  he  cried  out  to  his  men  to  guard  the  inner  life  and  all 
those  sacred  forces  which  must  come  forth  in  their  turn 
unweakened  for  their  work. 

This  guarding  of  one's  inner  life  and  its  receptivities  is 
for  no  negative  purpose.  There  is  work  for  eye  and  ear  to 
do ;  they  are  to  feed  the  life  by  their  choices ;  they  are  to 
be  the  nourishers  of  the  soul.  The  might  of  the  man  depends 
upon  them,  and  attention  is  therefore  to  be  given  to  the 
words  of  Christ,  for  they  bring  a  life  of  joy.  His  followers 
are  to  be  good  listeners.  "Let  these  words  sink  into  your 
ears." 

But  blessed  are  your  eyes,  for  they  see;  and  your 
ears,  for  they  hear. — Matt.  13 :  16. 

Every  one  that  cometh  unto  me,  and  heareth  my^ 
words,  and  doeth  them,  I  will  show  you  to  whom  he 
is  like :  he  is  like  a  man  building  a  house,  who  digged 
and  went  deep,  and  laid  a  foundation  upon  the  rock. 
Luke  6:47,  48. 

Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you.  He  that  heareth  my 
word,  and  believeth  him  that  sent  me,  hath  eternal 
life,  and  cometh  not  into  judgment,  but  hath  passed 
out  of  death  into  life. — John  5 :  24. 

Clearly,  therefore,  thcjcye  and  ear  are  dedicated  to  high 
uses  as  gateways  to  the  life  within,  and  how  definite  Christian 
duty  becomes  in  the  face  of  the  temptations  prevalent  in 
dramatic  amusements  to-day! 

53 


[Ill]        CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

There  is  no  more  justification  in  the  teaching  of  Jesus  for 
wilful  exposure  of  eye  and  ear  to  evil  than  there  is  in  medical 
teaching  for  eating  tubercular  meat.  If  a  man  makes  an 
honest  effort  to  live  out  this  principle  of  Jesus,  he  will  refuse 
altogether  to  go  to  some  theaters  just  as  he  refuses  to  go  to 
restaurants  where  the  food  is  dirty  and  infected.  More 
than  this,  he  will  be  on  his  guard  all  the  time  in  relation  to 
all  theaters,  even  the  best,  for  he  knows  that  in  all  there  is 
likelihood  of  taint.  Many  Christian  men  and  women  avoid 
all  commercial  theaters  for  this  reason.  Jesus  demands  of 
all  his  followers  perfect  moral  health  for  the  sake  of 
efficiency  in  creating  the  Christian  order,  and  he  is  content 
with  nothing  less.  Clearly  the  Christian  demand  is  that  one 
shall  seek  dramatic  recreation  only  under  conditions  and 
associations  which  are  able  both  to  refresh  and  enrich  his 
life,  and  which  he  knows  to  be  morally  sound  according  to 
the  standards  of  Jesus. 

Purity  of  Heart 

Over  against  the  misrepresentations  of  life  in  scenes  which 
are  sensually  suggestive,  Jesus  sets  the  clear  principle  of 
Purity  of  Heart.  "Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart:  for  they 
shall  see  God." 

The  world  has  changed  very  little  since  Jesus'  day  in 
respect  to  this  world-old  elemental  fact  of  sex  temptation. 
He  did  not  dwell  on  it,  but  he  uttered  the  eternal  truth  about 
it,  which  permeated  all  his  living  and  teaching.  He  clothed 
it  in  one  sword  thrust  of  a  sentence  sharp  enough  to  pierce 
the  marrow  of  men  in  great  audiences  at  nasty  shows  to-day, 
could  they  but  hear  it  again  with  the  unpoisoned  hearing  of 
boyhood.  "I  say  unto  you  that  every  one  that  looketh  on  a 
woman  to  lust  after  her  hath  committed  adultery  with  her 
already  in  his  heart."  How  well  he  knew  men  and  the  im- 
mediacy of  a  man's  temptation.  "He  himself  knew  what 
was  in  man."  He  knew  the  "imagination  of  the  thoughts 
of  his  heart,"  the  temptation  to  look  and  think  in  a   way 

54 


DRAMATIC  MISREPRESENTATIONS        [III] 

■  which  relaxes  all  the  strong  fidelities  of  his  life.  So  sharp 
did  he  know  the  temptation  to  be  that  he  sets,  with  a  quick 
stroke,  the  result  of  yielding  instantly  beside  the  temptation 
and  suggests  that  even  a  momentary  look  may  sweep  a  man 
on  to  the  full-imagined  act,  which  in  turn  leaves  but  another 
step  to  the  overt  act  itself.  It  is  the  wildfire  havoc  of  im- 
purity in  men's  lives  that  is  so  startling  to  Jesus.  The  quick- 
ness of  it!  The  deadliness  of  it!  — burning  out  a  life  both 
branch  and  root.  Paul  put  it  rightly  when  he  wrote  to 
Titus,  "To  the  pure  all  things  are  pure :  but  to  them  that  are 
defiled  and  unbelieving  nothing  is  pure;  but  both  their  mind 
and  their  conscience  are  defiled."  For  a  man  to  allow  his 
imagination  to  light  up  with  sensual  desire  is  about  as  safe  as 
lighting  a  match  in  dry  prairie  grass. 

Now  it  is  precisely  because  the  sex  impulse  is  so  personal, 
so  private,  so  instinctively  guarded  by  reticence  that  we 
think  of  purity  chiefly  in  relation  to  it.  For  this  same  reason 
they  who  vulgarize  the  thought  of  the  sex  relation,  who 
make  common  that  which  is  essentially  intimate  and  holy 
are  stained  with  pollution.  Every  thought  of  a  man  about 
it  is  to  be  as  pure  as  sunlight,  guarded  as  one  would  guard 
a  vestal  fire. 

Purity  to  Jesus  was  no  mere  hand-washing  virtue  as  it 
was  to  many  in  his  day.  He  rescued  it  from  among  external 
qualities  and  put  it  at  the  core  of  his  message  of  the  truth- 
about-life.  He  marvelously  enriched  and  deepened  men's 
thought  about  it.  He  set  it  forth  as  worthy  of  any  sacrifice. 
He  made  men  see  it  as  worth  a  lifetime  of  striving,  as 
Galahad  saw  it — the  indispensable  quality  of  a  life  without 
which  no  man  could  win  the  Holy  Grail. 

The  hell  of  impurity  must  have  been  in  his  mind  when  he 
cried  out  with  fierce  intensity — "If  thine  eye  causeth  thee  to 
stumble,  pluck  it  out,  and  cast  it  from  thee :  it  is  good  for 
thee  to  enter  into  life  with  one  eye,  rather  than  having  two 
eyes  to  be  cast  into  the  hell  of  fire." 

"Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,"  he  cried,  "for  they  shall 
see  God."     This  is  the  top  peak  of  the  truth  about  purity. 

55 


[Ill]        CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

The  pure  see  God.  It  is  axiomatic  that  his  glory  may  be 
seen  by  none  save  the  reverent,  and  reverence,  therefore, 
is  the  secret  of  purity.  The  reverent  are  pure  in  heart. 
Irreverence  is  the  key  to  impurity.  To  make  vulgar,  cheap, 
and  unrevered — that  is  the  process  of  impurity.  For  a 
woman  to  cheapen  herself  in  the  eyes  of  men  by  pose  or 
costume,  look  or  jest,  is  the  very  essence  of  impurity. 

Jesus  sharply  calls  men  away  from  this  temptation  which 
is  so  often  the  basis  of  appeal  in  dramatic  amusements. 
Purity  of  heart  is  his  quick  weapon  against  every  assault  of 
vulgarity,  his  answer  to  every  enticement  toward  the  sensual 
life.  He  demands  of  all  his  men  a  purity  which  reveres 
every  human  life  as  sacred  and  refuses  to  go  or  stay  where 
men  and  women  are  degraded  by  any  kind  of  sensual  sug- 
gestions. He  demands  a  steady  habit  of  reverence  that  looks 
away  on  past  this  temptation,  fastening  its  gaze  on  God 
himself,  a  God  of  Holiness.  This  of  itself  keeps  a  man 
happy.  Jesus  says,  "Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart :  for  they 
shall  see  God."  And  to  the  young  man  whom  Paul  enjoined 
to  "flee  youthful  lusts,  and  follow  after  righteousness,  faith, 
love,  peace,  with  them  that  call  on  the  Lord  out  of  a  pure 
heart,"  h"e  also  wrote  "the  end  of  the  charge  is  love  out  of  a 
pure  heart  and  a  good  conscience  and  faith  unfeigned." 

The  Truth-Ahout-Life 

Over  against  the  temptation  to  believe  in  lies  about  life, 
Jesus  sets  the  one  clear  principle  of  the  Truth. 

All  lies  are  evil  in  his  sight.  They  dynamite  the  very 
foundation  from  under  the  structure  of  life.  Lies  involving 
veracity  between  man  and  man  are  bad  enough  and  wreck 
a  human  relationship ;  but  lies  about  the  meaning  of  life 
itself,  vividly  portrayed,  distorting  sacred  values,  and  shot 
home  to  the  core  of  men's  being  under  the  mask  of  truth, 
with  the  label  of  art  upon  them,  these  are  betrayals  indeed. 

Nothing  so  stirred  the  wrath  of  Jesus  as  the  vivid  por- 
trayal of  falsehood  about  the  real  values  of  life  as  he  saw 

56 


DRAMATIC  MISREPRESENTATIONS         [III] 

it  in  the  make-up  of  some  of  the  Pharisees.  Men  of  renown 
and  chief  actors  though  they  were,  he  branded  them  as 
spiritual  murderers  because  they  acted  out  a  living  lie  about 
the  most  sacred  thing  in  life.  It  is  chiefly  because  they  were 
superlative  liars  that  he  cried  out  to  them : 

Ye  seek  to  kill  me.  a  man  that  hath  told  you  the 
truth,  which  I  heard  from  God.  ...  Ye  are  of  your 
father  the  devil,  and  the  lusts  of  your  father  it  is 
your  will  to  do.  He  was  a  murderer  from  the 
beginning,  and  standeth  not  in  the  truth,  because 
there  is  no  truth  in  him.  When  he  speaketh  a  lie, 
he  speaketh  of  his  own :  for  he  is  a  liar,  and  the 
father  thereof.  But  because  I  say  the  truth,  ye  be- 
lieve me  not. — John  8 :  40,  44,  45. 

No  wonder  that  lies  about  life  were  evil  in  his  sight  when 
he  saw  them  blasting  the  men  who  held  the  power  of  leader- 
ship over  the  people.  It  was  lies  about  life  he  was  branding 
when  he  hailed  them  before  the  multitude  with. 

Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites ! 
for  ye  are  like  unto  whited  sepulchres,  which  out- 
wardly appear  beautiful,  but  inwardly  are  full  of 
dead  men's  bones,  and  of  all  uncleanness.  .  .  ,  Ye 
serpents,  ye  offspring  of  vipers,  how  shall  ye  escape 
the  judgment  of  hell? — Matt.  23:27,  33. 

Even  in  the  sharpest  pressure  of  his  work  when  "the  multi- 
tude were  gathered  together,  insomuch  that  they  trod  one 
upon  another,"  Jesus  stopped  to  call  his  men  close  about  him 
and  v/arn  them  again  against  the  power  of  lies.  He  feared 
they  might  be  caught  unaware  even  in  his  presence. 

He  began  to  say  unto  his  disciples  first  of  all, 
Beware  ye  of  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees,  which  is 
hypocrisy.  But  there  is  nothing  covered  up,  that 
shall  not  be  revealed ;  and  hid,  that  shall  not  be 
known. — Luke  12:1,  2. 

•57 


[III-i]      CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

Apparently,  therefore,  that  lie  which  Jesus  can  tolerate 
least  of  all  is  the  lie  that  is  acted  out,  for  that  is  the  sin  of 
hypocrisy  itself  and  constitutes  a  man  a  hypocrite,  a  living 
embodiment  of  falsehood. 

Repugnant  to  the  thought  of  Jesus,  therefore,  are  all  those 
careless  lies  bandied  about  so  often  even  in  high  grade 
theaters — the  half  truths,  the  innuendo,  the  cynicism,  by 
which  the  careless  playwright  and  actor  flaunt  the  sacredness 
of  truth  and  play  the  coward  in  the  face  of  its  high  demands. 

Any  man  who  would  live  out  this  high  principle  of  Jesus 
must  ever  be  on  the  alert  sharply  to  detect  the  least  color 
of  untruth  in  dramatic  representations  and  rebuff  with  instant 
courage  every  subtle  appeal  of  lies  about  life.  As  he  does  this 
there  will  grow  up  in  him  a  realization  of  the  sanctity  of  the 
truth  akin  to  that  of  Jesus,  and  he  will  discover  its  power  to 
keep  the  inner  life  inviolate  and  strong  for  service. 


Daily  Readings 

I.  There  is  no  more  important  activity  of  consciousness 
than  the  selection  of  the  objects  of  attention.  In  this  power 
lies  the  chief  expression  of  whatever  freedom  of  the  will  we 
may  possess,  and  by  it  are  largely  determined  one's  intel- 
lectual growth  and  moral  development.  What  right,  there- 
fore, has  any  student  who  seeks  to  know  and  follow  the 
teaching  of  Jesus  to  select  low  grade  dramatic  amusements 
for  his  evening  entertainment,  and  focus  attention  upon  them  ? 

Behold,  the  sower  went  forth  to  sow :  and  it  came 
to  pass,  as  he  sowed,  some  seed  fell  by  the  way  side, 
and  the  birds  came  and  devoured  it.  And  other  fell 
on  the  rocky  ground,  where  it  had  not  much  earth; 
and  straightway  it  sprang  up,  because  it  had  no  deep- 
ness of  earth :  and  when  the  sun  was  risen,  it  was 
scorched ;  and  because  it  had  no  root,  it  withered 
away.  And  other  fell  among  the  thorns,  and  the 
thorns  grew  up,  and  choked  it,  and  it  yielded  no  fruit. 

58 


DRAMATIC  MISREPRESENTATIONS     [111-2] 

And  others  fell  into  the  good  ground,  and  yielded 
fruit,  growing  up  and  increasing;  and  brought  forth, 
thirtyfold,  and  sixtyfold,  and  a  hundredfold.  And 
he  said,  Who  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear. — Mark 
4 : 3-9- 

2.  Men's  efficiency  varies  widely,  in  accordance  with  their 
powers  of  attention  and  receptivity.  If  a  college  man  uses 
ten  per  cent  of  his  powers  of  attention  or  more  each  week 
on  vaudeville  and  burlesque  shows,  where  will  he  be  likely 
to  come  out  in  athletic  efficiency,  in  thought  power,  in  moral 
heroism?     Where  will  the  habit  take  him  in  four  years? 

And  these  are  they  by  the  way  side,  where  the 
word  is  sown ;  and  when  they  have  heard,  straight- 
way Cometh  Satan,  and  taketh  away  the  word  which 
hath  been  sown  in  them.  And  these  in  like  manner 
are  they  that  are  sown  upon  the  rocky  places,  who, 
when  they  have  heard  the  word,  straightway  receive 
it  with  joy;  and  they  have  no  root  in  themselves, 
but  endure  for  a  while ;  then,  when  tribulation  or 
persecution  ariseth  because  of  the  word,  straight- 
way they  stumble.  And  others  are  they  that  are  sown 
among  the  thorns;  these  are  they  that  have  heard 
the  word,  and  the  cares  of  the  world,  and  the  deceit- 
fulness  of  riches,  and  the  lusts  of  other  things  enter- 
ing in,  choke  the  word,  and  it  becometh  unfruitful. 
And  those  are  they  that  were  sown  upon  the  good 
ground ;  such  as  hear  the  word,  and  accept  it,  and 
bear  fruit,  thirtyfold,  and  sixtyfold,  and  a  hundred- 
fold.— Mark  4:15-20.   • 

3.  Many  men  argue  like  this:  "Conduct  is  the  sole  test 
of  life.  I  may  look  at  or  listen  to  anything  I  will  so  long 
as  I  do  no  evil.  Knowledge  is  power,  and  one  must  have 
all  kinds  of  experience."  What  are  the  fallacies  in  this  sort 
of   reasoning? 

And  he  said  unto  them,  Is  the  lamp  brought  to  be 
put  under  the  bushel,  or  under  the  bed,  and  not  to 
be  put  on  the  stand?     For  there  is  nothing  hid,  save 

59 


[III-4]     CHRISTIANITY  AND   AMUSEMENTS 

that  it  should  be  manifested ;  neither  was  anything 
made  secret,  but  that  it  should  come  to  light.  If 
any  man  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear.  And  he 
said  unto  them,  Take  heed  what  ye  hear. — Mark 
4:21-24. 

4.  "Every  little  while  I  wake  up  to  what  I  ought  to  do," 
says  a  college  man,  "when  I  read  a  good  book  or  hear  a 
good  sermon,  but  somehow  I  don't  get  it  done.  I  listen  all 
right,  but  I  go  to  a  lot  of  shows  too  and  the  things  I  see  and 
hear  there  leave  me  blurred  and  make  me  forget."  What 
is  Jesus'  answer  to  this  man? 

Every  one  that  cometh  unto  me,  and  heareth  my 
words,  arid  doeth  them,  I  will  show  you  to  whom  he 
is  like :  he  is  like  a  man  building  a  house,  who  digged 
and  went  deep,  and  laid  a  foundation  upon  the  rock: 
and  when  a  flood  arose,  the  stream  brake  against 
that  house,  and  could  not  shake  it :  because  it  had 
been  well  builded.  But  he  that  heareth,  and  doeth 
not,  is  like  a  man  that  built  a  house  upon  the  earth 
without  a  foundation;  against  which  the  stream 
brake,  and  straightway  it  fell  in;  and  the  ruin  of  that 
house  was  great. — Luke  6 :  47-49- 

5.  How  well  Paul  knew  the  way  of  victory  in  that  inner 
struggle  to  which  every  mortal  is  heir,  when  he  wrote  to 
all  who  would   follow   Christ : 

But  I  say,  Walk  by  the  Spirit  and,  ye  shall  not 
fulfil  the  lust  of  the  flesh.  'For  the  flesh  lusteth 
against  the  Spirit,  and  the  Spirit  against  the  flesh ; 
for  these  are  contrary  the  one  to  the  other;  that  ye 
may  not  do  the  things  that  ye  would.  But  if  ye  are 
led  by  the  Spirit,  ye  are  not  under  the  law.  .  .  . 
But  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  love,  joy,  peace,  long- 
suffering,  kindness,  goodness,  faithfulness,  meekness, 
self-control ;  against  such  there  is  no  law.  And  they 
that  are  of  Christ  Jesus  have  crucified  the  flesh  with 
the  passions  and  the  lusts  thereof. — Gal.  5 :  16-18, 
22-24. 

60 


DRAMATIC  MISREPRESENTATIONS     [111-6] 

6,  The  Christian  life  is  always  more  positive  than  nega- 
tive. Every  restraint  is  matched  by  a  greater  joy  than  that 
relinquished.  Jesus  was  ever  leading  his  men  out  to  richer 
experience  in  the  human  story.  Flee  one  thing,  follow  after 
four  things,  says  Paul. 

But  flee  youthful  lusts,  and  follow  after  righteous- 
ness, faith,  love,  peace,  with  them  that  call  on  the 
Lord  out  of  a  pure  heart.— =-11  Tim.  2 :  22. 

What  are  the  one  thing  and  the  four  things  for  me? 

7.  "After  all,"  says  a  genial  fellow,  "must  one  be  stickling 
for  the  truth  all  the  time?  It's  often  so  awkward,  you  know. 
You  can  often  make  people  much  happier  by  shading  it  a 
little.  Wouldn't  the  drama  lose  all  its  spice  if  it  always 
panned  out  like  life?"  If  this  view  of  the  importance  of 
truth  is  right,  why  do  you  suppose  Jesus  dwelt  so  earnestly 
during  his  last  hours,  when  only  supreme  needs  received 
attention,  upon  the  coming  of  the  Spirit  of  Truth  who 
should  quicken  his  men  to  the  sharp  rejection  of  lies  and  all 
unreality,  to  the  clear  discrimination  of  Truth? 

Howbeit  when  he,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  is  come, 
he  shall  guide  you  into  all  the  truth :  for  he  shall 
not  speak  from  himself ;  but  what  things  soever  he 
shall  hear,  these  shall  he  speak :  and  he  shall  declare 
unto  you  the  things  that  are  to  come.  He  shall 
glorify  me :  for  he  shall  take  of  mine,  and  shall  de- 
clare it  unto  you.  All  things  whatsoever  the  Father 
hath  are  mine :  therefore  said  I,  that  he  taketh  of 
mine,  and  shall  declare  it  unto  you. — John  16:13-15. 

Suggestions  for  Thought  and  Discussion 

What    function    in    recreation    and    social    education    have 
dramatic  representations  of  life? 

To  what  extent  is  the  appreciation  of  the  issues  of  life 
sharpened  by 'dramatic  representations? 

61 


[III-s]      CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

Are  there  any  dangers  in  drama  at  its  best?  Are  mis- 
representations of  life  inevitable  in  drama? 

Why  is  it  dangerous  to  commercialize  the  drama? 

How  prevalent  in  commercial  theaters  are  presentations 
of  lies  about  life?     What  lies? 

To  what  degree  in  typical  playhouses  does  the  taint  of 
immoral  suggestion  extend? 

What  influences  operate  to  put  immoral  "color"  into  com- 
mercial drama  which  do  not  obtain  in  amateur  dramatics? 
Do  these  same  influences  emerge  in  college  dramatics  run 
as  benefits? 

In  what  ways  are  certain  dramatic  representations  more 
dangerous  for  some  men  and  women  than  others?  Why  are 
certain  types  of  shows  especially  dangerous  for  college  men? 

Why  is  it  that  when  a  lie  about  life  is  presented  it  is  so 
often  coated  with  humor? 

To  what  extent  are  the  social  practices  which  rate  some 
women,  including  chorus  girls,  as  "diflrerent  from  other 
women"  traceable  to  the  attitude  of  theater  patrons? 

What  are  the  chief  principles  of  Jesus  in  relation  to  dramatic 
amusements? 

To  what  extent  does  the  principle  of  the  guarded  eye  and 
ear  put  dangerous  limits  upon  one's  experience  and  knowl- 
edge of  life? 

What  is  the  difference  between  innocence  and  purity  of 
heart  ? 

Why  is  it  that  lies  about  life  are  so  repugnant  to  the 
thought  of  Jesus? 

What  attitude  would  the  principles  of  Jesus  lead  a  Christian 
man  to  take  in  regard  to  dramatic  amusements? 

Who  has  authority  to  apply  the  principles  of  Jesus  to  the 
life  of  an  individual?  In  what  different  hands  may  it  rest 
under  different  circumstances? 

How  far  must  a  Christian  man  be  guided  by  other  men's 
temptations  as  well  as  his  own  in  applying  the  principles 
of  Jesus? 

62 


DRAMATIC  MISREPRESENTATIONS     [Ills] 

How  far  can  a  Christian  man  allow  the  popularity  of  a 
show  or  the  mood  of  his  "crowd"  to  determine  his  decisions 
about  the  theater? 

Can  a  Christian  have  any  share  in  a  "college  rough  house 
night"  at  a  theater? 

Do  the  values  of  good  drama  to  society  so  far  outweigh 
the  effects  of  evil  shows  as  to  justify  the  permanent  con- 
tinuance of  the  commercial  theater? 

What  is  the  duty  of  Christian  men  and  women  in  a  com- 
munity where  there  is  no  playhouse  in  which  one  is  free 
from  the  likelihood  of  assault  by  that  which  is  evil?  In 
what  ways  can  they  take  a  positive,  personal  attitude  in 
relation  to  drama? 


63 


CHAPTER    IV 

THE  DEGRADATION  OF  THE  SOCIAL 

IMPULSES  AND  THE  CHRISTIAN 

IDEAL  OF  FRIENDSHIP 

The  Social  Iinptdses  and  Their  Expression 

Deepest  of  all  impulses  in  human  life,  save  alone  those 
"of  self-preservation,  are  the  impulses  which  express  them- 
selves in  social  relationships.  No  man  was  meant  to  live 
outside  of  social  life.  None  of  us  can  break  out  of  human 
ties,  as  the  poet  described  by  Mrs.  Browning  tried  to  do 
and  failed,  forgetting  how  universally 

"The   rowers  lift  their  oars   to  view 
Each  other  in  the  sea  ; 
The  landsmen  watch  the  rocking  boats, 
In  a  pleasant  company ; 
While  up  the  hill  go  gladlier  still 
Dear  friends  by  two  and  three." 

— Elizabeth  Barrett  Browning, 
"The  Poet's  Vow." 

Everywhere  among  men  and  women,  and  especially  strong 
among  young  people,  is  the  insistent  demand  for  personal 
relations.  On  the  background  of  acquaintance  companion- 
ship springs  up  and  deepens  in  turn,  when  worthily  founded, 
into  friendship.  Among  our  friends  a  few  are  closer  to  us 
than  others,  and  crowning  all  is  the  intimacy  of  love  and 
marriage.  These  social  impulses  seek  everywhere  for  ex- 
pression, rebelling  against  the  isolation  of  the  country  and 
the  loneliness  of  great  citiec,  refusing  to  be  blocked  by 
obstacles  or  prohibitions,  and  demanding  satisfaction  in 
human  fellowship  which  is  their  natural  end. 

64 


DEGRADATION  OF  SOCIAL  IMPULSES      [IV] 

The  Degradation  of  the  Social  Impulses  in  the  Social 
Rendezvous  Group  of  Amusements 

The  expression  of  these  impulses  in  public  places,  however, 
is  fraught  with  striking  dangers.  The  commercialized  man- 
agement of  a  social  rendezvous  arrays  about  those  who 
frequent  it  temptations  which  tend  inevitably  to  degrade 
social  relationships.  The  chief  commercial  institutions  of 
this  group  are  cafes  with  amusement  features,  music  halls, 
beer  gardens,  and  public  dance  halls.  They  have  been  quick 
to  seize  upon  the  social  impulses  as  the  keys  to  easy  money 
making,  and  to  profit  by  the  difficulties  which  attend  the 
normal  expression  of  these  impulses  in  city  life.  They 
variously  cater  to  sociability  through  provisions  for  eating, 
drinking,   smoking,   and   dancing. 

The  temptations  long  prevalent  in  institutions  of  this 
general  type  have  come  to  a  sort  of  climax  in  the  recently 
developed  cabaret  where  the  entertainment  features  are  of 
secondary  importance  and  lack  the  dignity  of  dramatic  art.^ 
All  the  temptations  incident  to  the  dramatic  group  are 
present,  however,  and  intensified  by  the  social  atmosphere  as 
well  as  by  the  freedom  allowed  to  the  entertainers.  These 
are  usually  effeminate  men  and  young  women  with  abbreviated 
costumes,  who  frequently  mingle  among  those  entertained 
and  sing  or  act  in  a  suggestive  manner.  This  enlarges  the 
opportunity  for  immoral  suggestion  and  the  creation  of  an 
atmosphere  of  license.  The  steady  forcing  of  the  sale  of 
liquor  intensifies  still  further  the  temptation  to  loose  talk, 
and  often  reduces  the  company  to  terms  of  promiscuous 
familiarity. 

Public  dance  halls  in  which  the  modern  dances  in  extreme 
form  are  allowed  carry  this  process  of  degradation  one 
step  further.  The  temptations  involved  in  such  dances  need 
to  be  plainly  stated  and  clearly  understood.  The  fact  is  that 
as  now  frequently  danced  in  public  places  they  involve  an 
unprecedented    degree   of   physical   contact   and   a    series    of 

1  "Popular  Amusements,"  Social  Rendezvous  Group. 


[IV]         CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

motions  distinctly  sensual  in  character.  The  dancers  are 
often  comparative  strangers,  and  new  acquaintances  are  easy 
to  make.  The  dancing  ordinarily  lasts  for  a  number  of 
hours,  and  often  under  vicious  influences.  The  effect  upon 
sensitive  high-strung  young  people  in  the  adolescent  period — 
who  are  the  most  numerous  participants — is  obvious  and 
inevitable.  The  personal  dangers  here  involved  are  there- 
fore of  the  gravest  and  most  powerful  sort.  Active  in  the 
realm  of  the  emotions,  they  are  accompanied  by  intense 
feeling  and  are  rapidly  cumulative  in  their  effects. 

Among  the  dangers  are  these  temptations :  To  make  ac- 
quaintance in  a  rendezvous  where  sociability  is  more  or  less 
promiscuous,  where  the  atmosphere  is  one  of  laxity,  and 
where  immoral  suggestions  are  peculiarly  operative;  to  watch 
or  listen  to  suggestive  forms  of  entertainment,  dancing,  or 
music  which  stir  the  sensual  emotions;  to  indulge  in  loose 
and  vulgar  talk,  thus  further  breaking  down  the  dignity  and 
mutual  self-respect  of  the  relationship ;  for  the  man  to  take 
advantage  of  the  girl  in  personal  intimacy,  breaking  down 
her  modesty  and  beauty  of  girlhood;  for  the  girl  to  lure 
the  man  on  until  he  loses  his  self-control,  or  to  permit 
liberties  to  be  taken  which  cheapen  her  person  and  weaken 
her  powers  of  resistance;  for  them  to  dance  together  and 
with  others  in  such  a  way  as  to  carry  this  process  on  to  a 
result  which  robs  them  of  spiritual  chastity. 

The  dangers  involved  in  all  these  temptations  are  intensi- 
fied to  an  untold  degree  by  the  habit  of  liquor  drinking.  In 
many  rendezvous  of  this  group  the  provision  of  amusement  is 
wholly  a  side  issue  to  the  main  business  of  selling  intoxi- 
cating liquors  to  the  largest  possible  number  of  people  at  a 
maximum  profit.  The  temptation  to  indulge  this  habit  is 
therefore  fostered  by  such  commercial  tricks  as  these :  the 
frequent  appearance  of  the  waiter  for  a  new  order  and  the 
removal  of  the  partly  filled  glass;  the  systematic  embarrass- 
ment or  even  the  exclusion  of  those  who  do  not  drink;  the 
payment  of  commissions  to  girls  for  getting  men  to  drink; 
the  forcing  of  high  priced  "fancy"  drinks  upon  the  customers, 

66 


DEGRADATION  OF  SOCIAL  IMPULSES      [IV] 

cutting  down  the  quantity  and  putting  up  the  price;  and  in 
public  dance  halls,  where  the  sale  of  liquor  is  allowed,  the 
long  intermission  of  ten  to  twenty  minutes  with  only  three 
or  four  minutes  of  dancing.  This  temptation  therefore  is 
the  result  of  a  commercial  process  as  diabolical  as  it  is 
effective.  The  whole  atmosphere  of  such  a  place  is  vitiated 
by  the  fumes  of  commercial  aggression.  The  effect  of 
drinking  by  young  people  under  such  circumstances  is  to 
make  some  degree  of  intoxication  almost  inevitable.  This 
leads  to  the  weakening  of  the  higher  centers  of  control  and 
the  coarsening  of  the  finer  impulses. 

Certain  results  are  sure  to  follow  in  this  process  of  de- 
grading social  relationships.  Self-respect  is  impaired,  person- 
ality is  cheapened,  intimacy  is  profaned,  honor  is  forgotten,, 
and  chastity  itself  is  often  flung  away. 

The  Principles  of  Jesus  in  Relation  to  These  Tempta- 
tions 

Into  the  smoky  atmosphere  of  drinking  places  with  amuse- 
ment features  and  unsupervised  dance  halls  where  these 
temptations  burn  most  fiercely,  and  indeed  upon  much  of 
our  so-called  "best  society"  where  they  are  not  absent,  the 
truth  of  Jesus  flashes  like  lightning.  Wherever  youth  is 
corrupted  and  personality  degraded,  wherever  the  most  sacred 
impulses  of  human  life  are  debased,  where  those  who  ought 
to  be  guardians  of  social  morals  lose  their  sense  of  responsi- 
bility, there  the  principles  of  Jesus  are  active  as  two-edged 
swords. 

Self-Reverence 

First  among  these  is  the  principle  of  self-reverence.  All 
the  temptations  prevalent  in  this  group  of  amusements  are 
repugnant  to  a  man's  best  thought  about  himself  as  Jesus 
would  have  him  think  it.  Life  to  Jesus  is  a  gift  so  sacred, 
so  exalted  in  its  possibility,  that  self-reverence  is  as  natural 
as  hunger  or  thirst.    It  is  a  primary  law  of  individual  life. 


[IV]         CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

The  reasons  for  self-reverence  for  any  man  are  many.  The 
sheer  mystery  of  the  human  energy  that  leaps  in  his  blood  and 
tingles  in  his  muscular  power  is  reason  enough.  But  more 
than  this  there  is  in  every  man  an  unearned  investment  of 
human  life  and  value.  The  labor  and  sacrifice  of  those  who 
brought  him  forth  and  set  him  on  his  feet  have  in  a  real 
sense  sanctified  him,  "Ye  are  not  your  own;  for  ye  were 
bought  with  a  price."  He  has  been  made  the  trustee  of  great 
resources  of  human  value.  All  the  strong  fiber  of  a  man's 
life,  his  good  instincts  and  natural  integrity,  have  been  put 
there  by  costly  forces.  Any  due  appreciation  of  what  he 
has  cost — the  unearned  increment  that  is  in  his  life — ought 
to  give  a  man  reverence  for  himself.  And  then  the  sheer 
possibility  of  his  life  for  evil  makes  a  man  stand  in  awe  of 
himself.  No  one  is  sure  enough  master  of  the  lower  nature 
to  dare  to   foster  those  things  of  which  Jesus   says : 

That  which  proceedeth  out  of  the  man,  that  defileth 
the  man.  For  from  within,  out  of  the  heart  of  men, 
evil  thoughts  proceed,  fornications,  thefts,  murders, 
adulteries,  covetings,  wickednesses,  deceit,  lascivious- 
ness,  an  evil  eye,  railing,  pride,  foolishness :  all  these 
evil  things  proceed  from  within,  and  defile  the  man. 
— Mark   7  :  20-23. 

On  the  other  hand  the  sheer  possibility  of  his  life  for  good 
■makes  a  man  stand  in  awe  of  himself.  All  that  a  man  may  do 
with  his  life  these  days  while  war  is  still  to  be  hated  and 
fought,  civilization  to  be  redeemed,  vast  peoples  to  be  touched 
with  the  message  of  Christ,  and  social  justice  yet  to  be 
■established!  What  may  a  man  not  do  with  a  life?  His  own 
possibilities  make  him   stand  in  awe  of  himself. 

Now  in  the  thought  of  Jesus  nothing  else  of  his  own  is  so 
sacred  to  a  man  as  his  inner  spiritual  life,  his  natural  im- 
pulses controlled  and  guided  to  their  highest  expressions.  It 
is  the  throbbing  life  within  that  counts.  "Why,  what  does 
it  benefit  a  man  to  gain  the  whole  world  and  forfeit 
.his  life?" 

68 


DEGRADATION  OF  SOCIAL  IMPULSES      [IV] 

"One  thing  is  yours  you  may  not  spend : 
Your  very  inmost  self  of  all 
You  may  not  bind  it,  may  not  bend, 
Nor  stem  the  river  of  your  call. 
To  make  for  ocean  is  its  end." 

— Henrik  Ibsen,  "Brand." 

Reverence  for  the  Personality  of  Others 

Reverence  for  the  personality  of  others  is  also  an  ultimate 
principle  with  Jesus,  a  basic  law  of  human  association,  the 
secret  of  all  high  relationships.  The  lack  of  it  is  the  central 
fact  in  all  these  temptations.  All  the  time  without  fully 
realizing  it,  we  tend  to  look  upon  other  persons  as  modes 
of  action,  or  forms  of  value,  advantageous  to  ourselves  or 
otherwise,  rather  than  as  human  beings,  sensitive  like  our- 
selves. In  some  relations  we  think  of  another  person  as  so 
much  labor  power,  so  much  of  a  resource  in  time  of  need, 
so  much  of  an  influence  with  the  powers  that  be.  In  social 
relations  we  are  tempted  to  think  of  another  as  so  much  of  a 
means  of  pleasure,  so  much  of  a  quickener  of  agreeable 
sensations.  Selfishness  and  the  prevalent  commercialism  of 
our  life  are  all  the  time  deepening  this  tendency  and  robbing 
us  of  much  of  our  instinctive  human  feeling.  We  forget 
how  significant  and  sacred  other  people's  lives  are  to  them- 
selves, and  our  failure  in  this  realization  of  the  sacredness 
of  another's  personality  shows  at  its  worst  in  these  tempta- 
tions of  social  relationship.  The  other  person  tends  to  become 
just  a  means  of  selfish  pleasure,  merely  a  quickener  of 
agreeable^  sensations. 

Reverence  for  personality  runs  away  back  to  the  sense 
of  awe  with  which,  at  a  birth  or  a  death,  we  stand  before 
the  elemental  mystery  of  personal  identity.  It  demands  the 
high  art  of  looking  at  another's  life  as  if  it  were  our  own — 
the  gift  of  actually  imagining  how  it  feels  to  look  out  upon 
life  from  under  the  eyebrows  of  another.  It  commands 
us  to  stand  in  a  holy  silence  before  the  secret  inner  life  of 
another,  in  an  awe  that  is  all  the  deeper  if  that  life  be  one 

69 


[IV]         CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS. 

of  hidden  struggle  crowned  with  some  measure  of  victory. 
This  is  Jesus'  answer  to  that  hurt  of  delicate  perceptions 
which  is  present  to  some  degree  in  all  human  association,  the 
principle  of  reverelnce  for  personality. 

We  need  in  America  today  a  rebirth  of  chivalry.  We  need 
a  rebirth  of  reverence  on  the  part  of  men  for  women,  a  deep- 
ened reverence  in  personal  relationships.  In  the  temptations 
of  this  group  men  are  usually  the  aggressors  and  it  is  these 
very  temptations  involving  laxity  in  intimate  relationships 
which  are  especially  dangerous  to  women.  In  extreme  forms 
of  the  modern  dances  the  lack  of  reverence  for  personahty 
shows  at  its  worst.  This  is  especially  true  in  that  the  woman's 
reverence  for  herself  is  often  lowered  or  lost,  and  both  are 
willing  to  accept  the  pleasure  of  an  intimacy,  the  normal 
results  and  responsibilities  of  which  they  shun.  The  cheapen- 
ing of  personality  and  the  loss  of  self-respect  are  the  in- 
evitable result,  for  the  central  principle  of  social  morality, 
as  Jesus  sees  it,  has  been  trampled  under  feet.  "One  only 
degrades  his  friendships  when  he  measures  them  by  the 
number  of  liberties  he  takes,  the  number  of  privacies  he 
rides  over  roughshod."  The  joy  of  life  vanishes  when 
personality  is  profaned,  but  ever  abides  with  those  whose 
intimacies  are  pure.  They  who  reverence  each  other  know 
a  spontaneity  and  joy  in  their  companionships  which  license 
never  understands.  They  taste  the  ever  deepening  joys  of 
an  intimacy  which  knows,  no  shame  or  bitterness,  and  in 
which  familiarity  breeds  no  contempt,  for  it  is  founded  upon 
reverence  for  personality.    "To  the  pure  all  things  are  pure." 

Clean  and  Reverent  Speech 

Fundamental  in  the  exercise  of  Jesus*  principle  of  reverence 
for  personality  is  clean  and  reverent  speech.  Vulgar  and 
profane  talk  breaks  down  the  dignity  and  mutual  respect  of 
any  companionship.  Jesus  has  specific  things  to  say  about 
conversation.  More  than  once  as  he  went  along  about  his 
business  he  overheard  the  nasty  talk  of  men  who  lingered  at 

70 


DEGRADATION  OF  SOCIAL  IMPULSES      [IV] 

the  corners  of  the  streets.  It  stirred  his  deep  abhorrence. 
"That  which  proceedeth  out  of  the  mouth,  this  defileth  the 
man,"  he  says,  for  the  words  that  proceed  out  of  a  man's 
mouth  are  the  accurate  index  of  what  the  man  is. 

So  easy  is  the  slip  'of  the  tongue,  the  "unruly"  member, 
into  loose  and  hurtful  talk,  that  he  counsels  those  to  whose 
petty  conversation  he  was  forced  to  listen — "I  say  unto  you, 
that  every  idle  word  that  men  shall  speak,  they  shall  give 
account  thereof  in  the  day  of  judgment."  So  great  is  the 
danger,  that  he  counsels  the  most  direct  simplicity  and  sin- 
cerity of  speech,  "Let  your  speech  be.  Yea,  yea;  Nay,  nay." 
Will  Carleton's  Hoosier  poetry  is  to  the  point. 

"Boys  flying  kites  pull  in  their  white-winged  birds. 
You  can't  do  that  way  when  you're  flying  words. 
Careful  with  fire  is  good  advice  we  know, 
Careful  with  words  is  ten  times  doubly  so. 
Words  unexpressed  may  sometimes  fall  back  dead. 
But  God  himself  can't  kill  them  when  they're  said." 

Jesus  thinks  of  a  word  as  a  spiritual  force  and  the  man  who 
sets  it  free  is  responsible  for  the  good  or  evil  which  it 
produces.  "By  thy  words  thou  shalt  be  justified  and  by  thy 
words  thou  shalt  be  condemned."  Words  to  him  are  given 
for  holy  uses.  They  are  to  be  radiant  with  beauty,  shedding 
abroad  the  priceless  truth-about-life  in  the  midst  of  social 
relationships.  Of  his  own  words  he  said :  "They  are  spirit 
and  they  are  life." 

Self -Control 

In  all  the  thought  of  Jesus  upon  reverence  for  one's  own 
personality  or  that  of  others  there  is  implied  the  need  of  self- 
control.  If  a  man  must  go  to  the  length  of  cutting  off  a 
hand  or  plucking  out  an  eye  rather  than  let  them  cause  him 
to  stumble,  then  self-control  of  the  firmest  sort  is  demanded. 
Jesus'  teachings  and  life  are  in  utter  opposition  to  the  lax- 
ness,  the  license,  and  the  sensual  mood  which  characterize 
these   amusement   enterprises.     His    men   are   ever    to   hold 

71 


[IV]         CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

themselves  in  leash  and  ready  on  the  instant  to  match  them- 
selves to  any  duty. 

Self-control  is  not  mainly  a  virtue  of  restraint.  It  is  the 
virtue  of  a  high  self-direction.  It  is  above  all  the  virtue 
of  poise,  of  calm  and  fearless  action  in  the  face  of  danger 
or  temptation.  Jesus  demands  of  his  followers  a  whole  life 
of  self-control,  which  means  a  life  of  unbroken  fortitude 
in  the  achievement  of  high  ends.  Any  habit,  such  as  liquor 
drinking,  that  interferes  with  that  life,  that  weakens  re- 
sistance power,  lowers  physical  vitality,  breaks  down  moral 
stamina,  multiplies  crime  and  insanity,  releases  the  lowest 
passions  of  men,  inflames  the  high  suggestibility  of  women, 
and  in  the  end  reduces  both  men  and  women  to  degradation, 
must  be  in  opposition  to  these  basic  principles  of  reverence 
for  personality  and  self-control.  Acting  upon  those  same 
principles,  many  thoughtful  men  and  women  are  seeking  their 
social  recreations  in  other  forms  of  pleasure  than  in  the 
modern  dances  where  many  of  the  temptations  already  indi- 
cated manifest  themselves  even  in  the  most  guarded  social 
life.  Upon  these  same  principles  also  the  tobacco  habit  is 
now  being  avoided  or  laid  aside  by  many  thorough-going 
Christian  men. 

It  is  a  striking  appeal  which  Paul  makes  for  persistent 
self-control : 

Or  know  ye  not  that  your  body  is  a  temple  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  which  is  in  you,  which  ye  have  from 
God?  and  ye  are  not  your  own;  for  ye  were  bought 
with  a  price:  glorify  God  therefore  in  your  body. 
—I  Cor.  6 :  19,  20. 

The  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  love,  joy,  peace,  long- 
suffering,  kindness,  goodness,  faithfulness,  meekness, 
self-control;  against  such  there  is  no  law.  And  they 
that  are  of  Christ  Jesus  have  crucified  the  flesh  with 
the  passions  and  the  lusts  thereof.  If  we  live  by 
the  Spirit,  by  the  Spirit  let  us  also  walk. — Gal.  5  :  22-25. 

72 


DEGRADATION  OF  SOCIAL  IMPULSES      [IV] 

The  S  acre  due  ss  of  Friendship. 

Perhaps  the  most  far-reaching  degradation  of  the  social 
impulses  to  be  found  in  the  amusements  of  the  social  rendez- 
vous group  lies  in  the  substitution  of  chance  acquaintance, 
careless  and  often  sensual  relationships,  for  fine  and  enduring 
friendships.  Jesus  brings,  therefore,  the  challenge  of  the 
Sacredness  of  Friendship. 

Intimate  personal  friendship  with  its  instinctive  privacy 
is  a  charmed  relation  in  his  eyes.  In  its  completeness 
between  men  and  women  it  is  the  living  center  of  all  rela- 
tionships and  gives  the  crowning  answer  to  the  social  im- 
pulses. Jesus  was  peculiarly  a  friendly  man.  One  thinks 
of  him  as  seldom  apart  from  people  save  when  he  went 
alone  with  God  to  renew  the  sources  of  his  power.  Ever 
revered  and  yet  accessible,  gracious  and  companionable,  he 
stands  in  contrast  to  John  the  Baptist,  austere  and  forbidding, 
a  man  of  the  wilderness.  Jesus  was  a  man  with  friends, 
men  and  women  who  loved  him,  who  lived  close  to  him  and 
shared  his  confidence.  The  whole  story  of  his  public  ministry 
is  a  chronicle  of  friendship :  the  power  of  his  personality 
upon  his  disciples ;  their  willingness  to  leave  their  means  of 
livelihood  and  follow  him  in  a  wandering  quest,  the  purpose 
of  which  they  could  not  comprehend;  the  series  of  shocks 
and  surprises  by  which  he  brought  them  to  an  understanding 
of  himself ;  his  turning  his  back  on  popular  favor  that  he 
might  give  his  best  to  them  in  retirement,  and  fitting  them 
at  the  cost  of  infinite  patience  to  perpetuate  his  undying 
message  of  good  will.  At  the  end  of  his  life  when  the 
betrayal  and  the  denial,  those  tragedies  of  friendship,  are 
before  him,  he  is  still  supremely  the  unfailing  friend.  Those 
chapters  of  the  fourth  Gospel  which  have  found  the  deepest 
of  all  responses  in  the  human  heart  are  the  message  of  one 
who  in  his  last  hours  poured  out  the  affection  of  his  soul 
for  the  men  who  had  been  in  the  inner  circle  and  through 
them  for  all  mankind.  It  was  his  supreme  desire  that  they 
might  find  his  secret  of  joy. 

73 


-[IV]         CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  that  my  joy 
may  be  in  you,  and  that  your  joy  may  be  made  full. 
This  is  my  commandment,  that  ye  love  one  another, 
even  as  I  have  loved  you.  Greater  love  hath  no  man 
than  this,  that  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends. 
Ye  are  my  friends,  if  ye  do  the  things  which  I  com- 
mand you.  No  longer  do  I  call  you  servants ;  for 
the  servant  knoweth  not  what  his  lord  doeth :  but 
I  have  called  you  friends ;  for  all  things  that  I  heard 
from  my  Father  I  have  made  known  unto  you.  Ye 
did  not  choose  me,  but  I  chose  you,  and  appointed 
you,  that  ye  should  go  and  bear  fruit,  and  that  your 
fruit  should  abide :  that  whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  of 
the  Father  in  my  name,  he  may  give  it  you.  These 
things  I  command  you,  that  ye  may  love  one  an- 
other.—John   15:11-17. 

Jesus  rests  his  hope  of  the  achievement  of  a  perfect  social 
order  upon  friendship.  It  is  his  method  of  social  trans- 
formation, as  daring  as  it  is  simple.  He  relied  upon  the 
individual  to  communicate  ideals.  Friendship  is  the  means 
of  that  communication.  Friendship  was  his  method  of  social 
transformation — the  power  of  the  contagion  of  character  in 
intimate  personal  relationships.  Upon  this  method  hung  the 
success  or  failure  of  his  mighty  enterprise  that  must  go  on 
growing  ever  larger  after  his  friends  should  see  him  no  more. 
Friendship  to  Jesus,  therefore,  is  charged  with  the  deepest 
significance — is  alive  with  sacred  possibilities.  He  had  the 
daring  to  expect  that  men  long  after  his  death  and  far  away 
from  Palestine  would  find  in  him  a  buoyant  friend.  To  all 
men  everywhere  he  seemed  to  be  saying,  "Ye  are  my  friends 
if  ye  do  whatsoever  I  command  you." 

The  message  of  Jesus  is  full  of  the  intimacies  of  life. 
They  are  so  sacred  in  his  eyes  that  he  builds  his  interpreta- 
tion of  the  universe  upon  them.  A  mighty  friendship, 
humaoi  and  divine,  knitting  men  and  women  together  in  a 
holy  order  and  binding  them  to  God — this  is  the  ideal  of  his 
Kingdom.   His  theology  is  family  theology  with  divine  parent- 

74 


DEGRADATION  OF  SOCIAL  IMPULSES      [IV] 

hood  and  childhood  its  essential  characters.  But  there  can 
be  no  effective  family  theology  and  no  enduring  family 
institution  unless  the  perennial  friendships  of  young  men  and 
women  ripen  into  love  and  marriage  in  wholesome  purity. 

Friendship  that  reaches  the  highest  levels  is  no  whimsical 
relation  of  caprice  or  momentary  attraction  of  one  person 
for  another.  Any  friendship  worthy  of  the  name  rests  upon 
laws  as  sure  as  the  laws  of  the  physical  universe.  The  four- 
fold basis  of  this  relationship  has  been  declared  to  be : 
I.  Integrity,  breadth  and  depth  of  personal  character.  2.  Some 
deep  community  of  interests.  3.  Mutual  self-revelation  and 
answering  trust.     4.    Mutual  self-giving. 

These  are  the  laws  of  friendship,  and  no  laws  are  crying 
out  for  obedience  in  America  today  any  more  than  these  high 
laws.  Innumerable  relationships  of  men  and  women  that 
might  be  beautiful  and  enduring  are  marred  and  blighted 
because  of  ignorant  or  wilful  failure  to  fulfil  these  principles. 
«  Jesus  in  the  beatitudes  uttered  the  qualities  essential  for 
successful  friendship.  He  based  it  on  character.  No  char- 
acter means  no  friendship  worthy  of  the  name.  It  is  a 
striking  fact  that  these  essentials  of  friendship  are  also 
requisites  for  "blessedness."  Every  one  who  possesses  these 
gifts  of  character  is  "highly  favored"  and  has  entered  the 
life  of  enduring  joy. 

Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit :  for  theirs  is  the 
kingdom  of  heaven.  Blessed  are  they  that  mourn: 
for  they  shall  be  comforted.  Blessed  are  the  meek: 
for  they  shall  inherit  the  earth.  Blessed  are  they 
that  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness :  for  they 
shall  be  filled.  Blessed  are  the  merciful :  for  they 
shall  obtain  mercy.  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart :  for 
they  shall  see  God.  Blessed  are  the  peacemakers : 
for  they  shall  be  called  sons  of  God.  Blessed  are 
they  that  have  been  persecuted  for  righteousness' 
sake:  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Blessed 
are  ye  when  men  shall  reproach  you,  and  persecute 
you,  and  say  all  manner  of  evil  against  you  falsely, 

75 


[IV]         CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

for  my  sake.  Rejoice,  and  be  exceeding  glad:  for 
great  is  your  reward  in  heaven :  for  so  persecuted 
they  the  prophets  that  were  before  you. — Matt.  5  :  3-12. 

In  his  "Laws  of  Friendship"  President  King  says,  "It  is 
impossible  to  review  these  qualities  for  which  Christ  calls 
in  the  Beatitudes  and  not  see  that  where  these  qualities  are 
present,  a  worthy  and  steadily  growing  friendship  is  certain. 
Where  friends  are  teachable,  quick  to  recognize  their  own 
defects,  having  the  meekness  of  self-control,  and  persistent 
eagerness  for  the  best  that  friendship  may  bring;  where 
inner  sympathy  and  deep  reverence  for  the  persons  of  them- 
selves and  others  are  present,  where  each  is  a  promoter  of 
peace,  and  each  is  ready  to  sacrifice  for  the  other — there 
is  a  friendship  that  it  is  hardly  possible  to  wreck."  ^ 

Clearly,  therefore,  the  atmosphere  of  these  amusement 
resorts  means  the  suffocation  of  friendship.  A  real  friend- 
ship cannot  exist  there.  So  delicate  and  instinctively  sacred 
are  all  genuine  personal  confidences,  so  dependent  are  they 
on  mutual  trust  and  reverence  that  vulgar  jokes  blight  them, 
looseness  in  relationships  wilts  them,  and  the  atmosphere  of 
licentious  pleasure  withers  them  up.  Such  influences,  wher- 
ever they  exist,  limit  life,  make  it  superficial  and  flighty, 
intensify  selfishness,  undermine  personal  integrity  and  de- 
grade the  finest  social  impulses.  It  is  doubtful  indeed  if 
friendship  could  find  a  more  poisonous  atmosphere  in  which 
to  breathe  than  that  of  an  amusement  resort  of  this  type. 
Jesus  squarely  opposes  the  sacredness  of  friendship  to  these 
temptations  wherever  found  in  social  life  and  Paul  speaks  as 
if  directly  to  those  who  are  drawn  aside  by  these  dangerous 
enchantments. 

Let  us  walk  becomingly,  as  in  the  day;  not  in 
revelling  and  drunkenness,  not  in  chambering  and 
wantonness,  not  in  strife  and  jealousy.  But  put  ye  on 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  make  not  provision  for 
the  flesh,  to  fulfil  the  lusts  thereof. — Rom.  13 :  13,  14. 


Henry  C.  King,  '-'The  Laws  of  Friendship,"  p.  99. 

7^ 


DEGRADATION  OF  SOCIAL  IMPULSES         [IV-i] 

Daily  Readings 

1.  Self-reverence  varies  with  different  men  and  rightly 
so.  How  quickly  dissipation  destroys  it  and  yet  any  man, 
however  degraded  by  drink  or  the  exploitation  of  others, 
may  be  reawakened  to  it.  Obviously  it  is  a  matter  of  the 
will,  and  self-reverence  deepens  as  self-improvement  increases 
under  the  leadership  of  Christ.  Have  I  wholly  "put  on  the 
new  man"?  How  have  I  helped  other  men  to  self-reverence 
and  self-control? 

Put  to  death  therefore  your  members  which  are 
upon  the  earth :  fornication,  uncleanness,  passion,  evil 
desire,  and  covetousness  .  .  .  anger,  wrath,  malice,  rail- 
ing, shameful  speaking  out  of  your  mouth :  He  not  one 
to  another ;  seeing  that  ye  have  put  off  the  old  man 
with  his  doings,  and  have  put  on  the  new  man,  that 
is  being  renewed  unto  knowledge  after  the  image  of 
him  that  created  him :  where  there  cannot  be  Greek 
and  Jew,  circumcision  and  uncircumcision,  barbarian, 
Scythian,  bondman,  freeman;  but  Christ  is  all,  and 
in  all.  Put  on  therefore,  as  God's  elect,  holy  and 
beloved,  a  heart  of  compassion,  kindness,  lowliness, 
meekness,  longsuffering ;  forbearing  one  another,  and 
forgiving  each  other,  if  any  man  have  a  complaint 
against  any;  even  as  the  Lord  forgave  you,  so  also 
do  ye :  and  above  all  these  things  put  on  love,  which 
is  the  bond  of  perfectness. — Col.  3 :  5-14. 

2.  I  am  valuable.  Why?  For  what  has  been  given  to 
me,  for  what  I  can  do,  or  for  what  I  have  done  and  am 
doing?  Might  I  not  greatly  increase  my  value  to  all  my 
friends  this  week  if  I  would  but  make  the  effort.  Some  of 
them  need  what  I  alone  can  give.  Permeating  all  the  thought 
of  Jesus  is  this  sense  of  the  incomparable  value  of  human 
life. 

Are  not  five  sparrows  sold  for  two  pence?  and 
not  one  of  them  is  forgotten  in  the  sight  of  God. 
But  the  very  hairs  of  your  head  are  all  numbered. 

77' 


[IV-3]     CHRISTIANITY   AND   AMUSEMENTS 

Fear  not :  ye  are  of  more  value  than  many  sparrows. 
— Luke  12:6,  7. 

3.  Dare  I  pay  the  price  of  caring  for  the  best  in  my 
acquaintances  as  Jesus  cared  for  it?  "For  their  sakes  I 
sanctify  myself,"  he  said.  Find  here  Jesus'  unique  sense  of 
the  sanctity  of  human  life.  He  who  knows  himself  to  be 
the  messenger  of  God  yet  holds  himself  more  sacred  for 
the  sake  of  his  friends. 

Sanctify  them  in  the  truth:  thy  word  is  truth.  As 
thou  didst  send  me  into  the  world,  even  so  sent  I 
them  into  the  world.  And  for  their  sakes  I  sanctify 
myself,  that  they  themselves  also  may  be  sanctified 
in  truth.  Neither  for  these  only  do  I  pray,  but  for 
them  also  that  believe  on  me  through  their  word; 
that  they  may  all  be  one ;  even  as  thou.  Father,  art 
in  me,  and  I  in  thee,  that  they  also  may  be  in  us : 
that  the  world  may  believe  that  thou  didst  send  me. 
And  the  glory  which  thou  hast  given  me  I  have  given 
unto  them;  that  they  may  be  one,  even  as  we  are 
one.— John  17:  17-22. 

4.  "But  why  are  we  so  glad  to  take  our  turns  to  prattle, 

When  so  rarely  we  get  back  to  the  stronghold  of 

our   silence 
With  an  unwounded  conscience? 
Our  talk  is  often  empty,  often  vain. 
This  comfort  from  without 
Is  no  small  enemy  to  that  from  God  which  speaks 

to  us  within. 
So  we  must  watch  and  pray, 
For  fear  our  days  go  idly  by." 

— Thomas  a  Kempis. 

Let  your  speech  be  always  with  grace,  seasoned 
with  salt,  that  ye  may  know  how  ye  ought  to  answer 
each  one. — Col.  4 :  6. 

If  any  man  thinketh  himself  to  be  religious,  while 
he  bridleth  not  his  tongue  but  deceiveth  his  heart, 
this  man's  religion  is  vain. — James  i  :  26. 

78 


DEGRADATION  OF  SOCIAL  IMPULSES    [IV-5] 

5.  How  perfectly  Jesus'  sense  of  reverence  for  woman- 
hood spoke  when  he  said : 

He  that  is  without  sin  among  you,  let  him. first  cast 
a  stone  at  her.  And  again  he  stooped  down,  and  with 
his  finger  wrote  on  the  ground.  And  they,  when  they 
heard  it,  went  out  one  by  one,  beginning  from  the 
eldest,  even  unto  the  last:  and  Jesus  was  left  alone, 
and  the  woman,  where  she  was,  in  the  midst.  And 
Jesus  lifted  up  himself,  and  said  unto  her.  Woman, 
where  are  they?  did  no  man  condemn  thee?  And  she 
said.  No  man.  Lord.  And  Jesus  said,  Neither  do  I 
condemn  thee :  go  thy  way ;  from  henceforth  sin  no 
more. — John  8:7-11. 

6.  Here  unite  the  high  self-reverence  of  Jesus  and  his 
reverence  for  those  whom  the  world  heeds  least  of  all.  His 
message  for  all  mankind  is  born  of  that  union. 

The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me. 

Because  he  anointed  me  to  preach  good  tidings   to 

the  poor : 
He  hath  sent  me  to  proclaim  release  to  the  captives, 
And  recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind, 
To  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised. 
To  proclaim  the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord. 

— Luke  4  :  18,   19. 

7.  The  friends  of  Jesus  and  the  friends  of  Paul  through- 
out the  world  are  now  innumerable.  Is  it  not  fair  to  suppose 
that  they  knew  the  secret  of  permanence  in  personal  rela- 
tionships? How  far  do  these  words  go  in  helping  to  main- 
tain friendship  at  its  best? 

If  I  speak  with  the  tongues  of  men  and  of  angels, 
but  have  not  love,  I  am  become  sounding  brass,  or  a 
clanging  cymbal.  And  if  I  have  the  gift  of  prophecy, 
and  know  all  mysteries  and  all  knowledge;  and  if  I 
have  all  faith,  so  as  to  remove  mountains,  but  have 
not  love,  I  am  nothing.    And  if  I  bestow  all  my  goods 

79 


[IV-s]      CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

to  feed  the  poor,  and  if  I  give  my  body  to  be  burned, 
but  have  not  love,  it  profiteth  me  nothing.  Love 
suffereth  long,  and  is  kind;  love  envieth  not;  love 
vaunteth  not  itself,  is  not  puffed  up,  doth  not  behave 
itself  unseemly,  seeketh  not  its  own,  is  not  provoked, 
taketh  not  account  of  evil;  rejoiceth  not  in  un- 
righteousness, but  rejoiceth  with  the  truth;  beareth 
all  things,  believeth  all  things,  hopeth  all  things, 
endureth  all  things.  Love  never  faileth.— I  Cor. 
13:1-8. 

Suggestions  for  Thought  and  Discussion 

What   is   the    effect   on   character   of   the   repression    of   the 
social  impulses^ 

What  are   the  leading  features  in  public  amusement' resorts 
which  tend  to  degrade  the  social  impulses? 

Why  is  the  commercialization  of  sociability  so  dangerous? 

In  what  specific  ways  does  liquor  drinking  intensify  these 
dangers  ? 

How  is  the  atmosphere  of  "a  good  time,"  "this  is  the  life," 
"he  is  a  good  spender,"  etc.,  created  by  commercial  manage- 
ment? How  does  such  an  atmosphere  in  a  social  rendezvous 
break  down  moral  integrity? 

Are  the  same  influences  present  in  college  dances,  smokers, 
and  other  social  affairs?  Have  any  of  these  crept  in  through 
commercial  influences? 

What  are  the  most  significant  principles  of  Jesus  in  relation 
to  these  tendencies? 

How  does  thorough-going  reverence  for  the  personality  of 
others  alter  one's  relationships?  Does  it  increase  or  decrease 
the  pleasure  of  social  life? 

Can  one  be  at  the  same  time  "a  good  mixer"  and  self- 
reverent,  safeguarding  all  the  intimacies  of  life. 

Why  is  it  so  difficult  for  fine  friendships  to  develop  in  an 
atmosphere  of  easygoing   familiarity. 

What  specific  results  would  you  like  to  see  achieved  in 
America  to-day  through  a  rebirth  of  chivalry. 

80 


DEGRADATION  OF  SOCIAL  IMPULSES    [IV-s] 

How  can  the  principles  of  Jesus  in  relation  to  social  amuse- 
ments be  effectively  incorporated  in  college  life. 

To  what  extent  do  the  differences  in  the  temptations  of 
different  persons  make  self-control  an  individual  matter?  A 
social  matter? 

What  can  any  group  of  college  men  do  to  stop  indecent 
and  profane  speech? 

Has  the  normal  impulse  to  express  one's  happiness  in 
social  motion,  as  seen  in  the  spontaneous  dancing  of  children, 
been  diverted  from  its  true  expression  in  modern  round 
dancing  ? 

Do  you  see  any  fundamental  difference  between  modern 
round  dancing  and  square  dancing?    Which  is  the  more  fun? 

How  may  one  test  his  friendships  by  Jesus'  ideals? 

What  are  the  laws  by  which  they  can  be  made  to  stand 
the  test? 

To  what  extent  is  a  Christian  man  justified  in  expressing 
his  social  impulses  in  a  public  social  rendezvous? 

What  reconstruction  in  college  social  life  would  be  wrought 
if  Christian  men  and  women  courageously  followed  Jesus' 
principles  ? 

How  far  are  Christian  students  in  any  college  corporately 
responsible  for  the  Christianizing  of  social  recreations? 


8i 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  BREAK-UP  OF  FRIENDLY 

ATHLETICS  AND  THE  CHRISTIAN 

CHALLENGE 

Friendly  Athletics:  Their  Place  and  Value 

The  wide  extent  and  deep  significance  of  amateur  athletics 
is  not  appreciated  by  those  who  identify  them  solely  with 
college  football,  baseball,  rowing,  and  track  games.  The 
comparative  importance  of  college  athletics  has  been  greatly 
exaggerated,  and  the  college  man  is  prone  to  see  them  almost 
wholly  from  his  own  point  of  view.  A  far  wider  field  opens 
when  we  consider  all  the  ways  in  which  the  American  people 
find  recreation  in  manifold  athletic  exercises  which  return 
to  those  who  participate  no  other  pay  than  pleasure. 

These  activities,  instinctive  and  irrepressible  as  they  are 
wherever  young  people  come  together,  are  to  be  recognized 
as  a  national  asset  of  immense  value,  for  they  all  minister  to 
health  and  efficiency,  to  sociability  and  cooperation,  and  are 
often  more  profoundly  educative  than  formal  instruction. 
The  meaning  of  loyalty  and  basic  morality  enters  the  very  fiber 
of  American  youth  through  well  conducted  athletics.  Both 
their  moral  and  mental  values  are  now  recognized.  'Schools 
and  colleges  are  awake  to  their  broad  educational  significance, 
and  instructors  who  are  regular  members  of  the  instructional 
staff  are  usually  in  charge.  In  many  institutions  all  students 
are  required  to  take  up  some  form  of  athletic  exercise.  In- 
tercollegiate, interscholastic  and  interclub  athletic  leagues  of 
many  sorts  cover  the  country  like  a  network,  bringing  enor- 
mous numbers  of  young  men  into  healthful  competitive  sport. 
Among  the   most  important   of'  these   are  the  public   school 

82 


BREAKUP  OF  FRIENDLY  ATHLETICS         [V] 

athletic  leagues  of  the  larger  cities.  These  play  interscho- 
lastic  games  in  all  the  chief  sports,  and  enroll  thousands  of 
boys  in  over  170  of  the  larger  cities. 

Amateur  athletics  reach  their  most  spectacular  form  in 
college  and  university  matches,  especially  football,  baseball, 
rowing,  and  track  games.  The  so-called  "big  games"  have 
become  national  amusement  events  of  the  first  order. 


Influences  that  Break   Up  Friendly  Athletics 

The  morals  of  athletics,  in  comparison  with  other  phases 
of  the  amusement  situation,  are  wholesome  and  refreshing. 
They  are,  in  fact,  less  a  phase  of  the  problem  than  an  effective 
solution  of  it.  There  are,  however,  certain  tendencies,  even 
in  amateur  athletics,  which  are  far  from  encouraging.  The 
chief  moral  dangers  enter  in  the  temptation  to  win  at  any 
price,  which  frequently  leads  to  dishonesty.  This  emerges 
in  the  temptation  to  cheat,  to  indulge  in  that  which  is  pro- 
tested against  upon  every  boys'  playing  field  in  the  shout, 
"Play  fair."  Cheating  threatens  all  the  mutual  understand- 
ings of  the  game.  It  should  be  clearly  set  off  from  those 
forms  of  legitimate  deception  which  are  a  part  of  the  game 
itself,  as  in  the  difference  in  football  between  the  eft'ort  of 
the  center  to  steal  ground  by  setting  the  ball  forward  from 
the  place  of  the  last  down  while  the  officials  may  not  be 
watching  him,  and  the  legitimate  effort  to  deceive  the  oppos- 
ing team  as  to  what  the  next  play  is  going  to  be.  The  one 
is  reprehensible  cheating,  the  other  is  the  expected  strategy 
upon  which  the  excitement  of  the  game  depends. 
■  This  temptation  shows  itself  chie^y  in  two  ways :  To  cheat 
within  the  game  itself,  as  illustrated  above  by  stealing  large 
or  small  advantages  in  violation  of  the  rules ;  or  to  introduce 
into  the  game  those  who  have  no  right  to  be  there  under  the 
rules  agreed  upon — those  who  are  out  of  the  class  of  other 
participants  because  of  age,  weight,  size,  superior  abiHty,  pro- 
fessional experience,  or  some  other  disqualification.  This 
happens    most    frequently    in    the    secret    introduction    of    a 

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[V]  CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

player  of  superior  ability  for  pay  or  other  valuable  consider- 
ation. • 

The  practice  of  dishonesty  in  athletics  results  from  the  "win 
at  any  price"  policy,  and  is  a  confession  of  weakness.  It 
brings  secret  shame  even  if  one  is  not  detected,  and  the  addi- 
tional shame  of  exposure  if  one  is  caught  in  the  act.  It 
implies  an  instant  readiness  to  break  the  contract  implied  in 
the  gentlemen's  agreement ;  a  spirit  of  anarchy  in  respect 
to  the  laws  of  the  game,  and  results  in  the  searing  of  a  man's 
own  conscience,  the  degradation  of  the  ideals  and  practices  of 
younger  players,  the  creation  of  an  atmosphere  of  distrust 
and  bitterness ;  and  the  entering  wedge  for  the  habits  of  graft 
and  stealing  and  forgery. 

Next  door  to  the  hiring  of  players  is  the  temptation  to  bet 
on  the  game.  Both  express  the  spirit  of  commercialism  in 
relation  to  sport  They  should  be  seen  as  parallel  factors, 
for  the  spectator  who  bets  on  the  game  is  brother  to  the  player 
who  secretly  sells  his  ability.  An  honest  recognition  of  this 
fact  would  do  much  to  stop  betting  on  amateur  games,  for 
many  men  are  willing  to  bet  on  their  friends  who  would  be 
ashamed  of  them  if  they  ruined  amateur  sport  by  secretly 
taking  pay. 

Betting  prevails  widely  in  connection  with  athletics,  both 
amateur  and  professional,  and  not  infrequently  enters  into 
the  management  of  events.  It  is  essential  to  realize  that 
there  is  no  fundamental  moral  distinction  between  betting 
and  gambling,  and  that  small  indulgences  in  these  temptations 
are  of  the  same  essential  moral  nature  as  those  larger  indul- 
gences which  sweep  men  on  into  the  gambling  mania,  reduc- 
ing careers  of  promise  to  failure  and  happy  families  to 
misery.  Wherever  the  gambling  spirit  has  its  way  with  men, 
there  prevails  a  feverish  instability  of  character,  business 
uncertainty  and  failure,  blighted  homes,  lotteries  in  church 
and  state,  people  reduced  to  poverty  and  debt,  save  a  few 
more  skilful  and  crooked  than  the  rest  who  fatten  upon 
them.  The  desperation  incurred  by  losses  in  betting  and 
gambling  is  a  quick  instigator  of  violence  and  crime,  while 

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BREAKUP  OF  FRIENDLY  ATHLETICS         [V] 

the  recklessness  encouraged  by  easy-won  money  can  but  lead 
to  extravagance,  excess,  and  profligacy.  Betting  and  gam- 
bling thus  get  men  coming  or  going,  winning  or  losing,  attack- 
ing with  deadly  certainty  all  the  basic  motives  and  fine  reli- 
abiHties  of  character. 

A  further  temptation  incident  to  amateur  athletics  is  that 
of  anger  and  personal  animosity — to  let  a  friendly  game 
degenerate  into  a  half-hidden  or  possibly  free-for-all  fight. 
It  is  well  to  realize  how  high  is  the  standard  which  amateur 
sport  has  set  itself  when  it  requires  men  to  go  into  the  sharp- 
est physical  contests  and  yet  maintain  their  self-control  and 
gentlemanly  courtesy.  The  degree  of  fighting  by  jaw  and 
fist  which  manifests  itself  in  any  game,  is  a  fairly  accurate 
indication  of  the  character  of  the  players  and  the  degree  to 
which  these  ideals  of  amateur  sport  have  been  understood 
and  achieved.  One  ought  to  be  very  candid  about  the  temp- 
tation to  anger.  It  sticketh  closer  than  a  brother  to  most  of 
us,  and  is  certainly  a  "natural"  temptation,  especially  to  those 
who  are  "quick-tempered."  It  is  felt  by  many  to  be  an 
unavoidable  weakness  for  which  they  are  not  really  respon- 
sible, and  is  looked  upon  as  an  established  fact  of  tempera- 
ment inherited  from  their  ancestors  and  very  largely  beyond 
their  own  control.  Valid  excuses  for  uncontrolled  anger 
seem  easy  to  make,  especially  if,  as  in  boxing,  for  example, 
one  is  injured  or  intentionally  fouled  by  his  opponent.  All 
the  elemental  and  instinctive  forces  of  a  man's  nature  flare  up 
in  rebellion.  Animosity  and  retaliation  seem  to  be  almost 
unavoidable  reactions.  It  seems  "perfectly  natural"  to  let 
one's  self  go.  But  what  happens  when  one  does  let  himself 
go?  What  happens  when  anger,  animosity,  retaliation,  and 
hatred  work  their  will?  Any  man  who  has  followed  athletic 
history  for  a  few  years  knows  the  answer :  bitterness  between 
two  men — blows  -are  struck,  men  take  sides,  the  fighting 
spreads  through  the  teams,  their  adherents  join  in,  men  "let 
go"  fast  and  furiously,,  injuries  are  given  and  received.  Sup- 
pose no  one  intervenes — some  one  is  fatally  injured,  death 
results.    Murder  is  the  climax  of  unrestrained  anger. 

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[V]  CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

Closely  allied  to  anger  is  the  temptation  to  brutality.  It 
shows  itself  in  the  direct  effort  to  "put  out"  a  good  player 
by  spiking  him  or  injuring  him  in  a  vital  place,  or  in  the 
attempt  to  win  by  injuring  as  many  men  as  necessary  on  the 
opposing  team.  It  shows  in  the  attitude  of  a  portion  of  the 
spectators  as  well  as  players  at  certain  games,  men  with  whom 
excitement  seems  to  stir  the  mood  of  brutality  as  certainly 
as  it  quickens  a  flood  of  profanity.  Anyone  who  listens  to 
the  epithets  hurled  at  the  players  by  this  part  of  the  crowd — 
"kill  him,"  "murder  him,"  "put  him  out,"  and  the  like — will 
realize,  of  course,  that  they  are  irresponsible  remarks  not 
meant  to  be  carried  out,  but  they  represent  nevertheless  a 
brutal  mood  which  can  but  have  its  effect  on  the  players 
and  which  needs  only  a  sufficient  provocation  to  bring  the 
crowd  onto  the  field,  with  all  the  possibilities  of  mob  action. 

This  temptation  to  brutality  shows  at  its  worst  in  the  estab- 
lished institution  of  personal  brutality — prize  fighting.  Here 
these  tendencies  work  out  to  their  logical  conclusion  in  par- 
ticipants and  spectators  alike.  A  mood  of  hardness  is  in  the 
very  atmosphere  of  the  occasion.  Personal  animosity  between 
the  fighters  always  sharpens  the  fighting  and  the  interest.  A 
"knock-out"  is  the  goal  of  the  fighter's  training  and  hope, 
the  pinnacle  of  the  fight-fan's  joy.  The  worst  forms  of  vice 
go  along  with  this  sort  of  brutality,  for  it  is  not  the  brutality 
of  primitive  n)en  who  err  in  the  sudden  angry  use  of  superior 
strength,  but  the  sordid  brutahty  fostered  by  the  commerciali- 
zation of  sport. 

The  Principles  of  Jesus  in  Relation  to  These  Tempta- 
tions 

In  opposition  to  all  these  tendencies  which  fasten  them- 
selves to  the'  good  of  athletics  stand  certain  fundamental 
principles  of  Jesus. 

Honesty 

Over  against  the  temptation  to  cheat  stands  the  principle  of 
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BREAKUP  OF  FRIENDLY  ATHLETICS         [V] 

common  honesty.  The  honest  man  is  the  man  of  veracity  in 
action,  a  doer  of  the  truth,  who  will  not  lie  or  steal  or  cheat. 
The  dishonest  man,  the  sneaking  man  who  cheats — he  is  the 
scared  man ;  Jesus  sets  him  in  sharp  contrast  to  the  man  of 
daylight  who  is  liberated  from  fear. 

For  every  one  that  doeth  evil  hateth  the  light,  and 
Cometh  not  to  the  light,  lest  his  works  should  be 
reproved.  But  he  that  doeth  the  truth  cometh  to  the 
light,  that  his  works  may  be  made  manifest,  that  they 
have  been  wrought  in  God. — John  3  :  20,  21. 

Paul  writes  again  and  again  of  the  Christian  life  in  athletic 
figures,  and  always  implied  in  what  he  says  is. the  soundness 
of  Christian  honesty,  as  in : 

Fight  the  good  fight  of  the  faith,  lay  hold  on  the 
life  eternal,  whereunto  thou  wast  called,  and  didst 
confess  the  good  confession  in  the  sight  of  many  wit- 
nesses.— I  Tim.  6 :  12. 

Finally,  be  strong  in  the  Lord,  and  in  the  strength 
of  his  might.  Put  on  the  whole  armor  of  God,  that 
ye  may  be  able  to  stand  against  the  wiles  of  the  devil. 
— Eph.  6:  10,  II. 

Honesty  often  brings  its  own  reward  in  athletics  in  strik- 
ing contrast  to  the  results  of  dishonesty.  In  a  football  game, 
for  instance,  the  moral  drama  of  theft,  detection,  trial,  con- 
demnation, penalty,  and  disgrace  may  be  enacted  in  two 
minutes.  That  is  one  of  the  incalculable  moral  values  of 
athletics,  and  makes  obvious  the  necessity  of  having  the 
principle  of  absolute  honesty  ingrained  in  one's  nervous  sys- 
tem, for  the  athlete  has  no  time  to  "think  it  over."  He  must 
act  instantaneously,  almost  automatically.  The  inwrought 
habit  of  honesty  in  athletics,  therefore,  is  at  one  with 
accuracy,  quickness,  certainty,  and  success.  It  works  for  the 
.man  who  works  with  it.  The  great  basic  moral  laws  of 
Jesus  as  manifested  in  honest  play  are  always  in  accord  with 
physical  laws.     The  union  of  the  two  in  a  man's  life  goes 

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[V]  CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

a  long  way  toward  victory.  Spontaneity  and  "fitness"  are 
not  to  be  separated  from  the  habit  of  honesty,  for  as  he  said, 
"Ye  shall  know  the  truth,  and  the  truth  shall  make  you 
free." 

Freedom  from  Recklessness  and  Cupidity 

The  chief  moods  to  which  betting  makes  its  appeal  are  the 
mood  of  recklessness  and  the  mood  of  cupidity. 

The  beginning  of  the  reckless  mood  in  gambling  lies  in  the 
desire  to  "chance  it"  a  bit,  to  "take  a  flier  on  how  it's  coming 
out,"  or  to  back  up  a  statement  by  showing  your  willingness 
to  risk  the  loss  of  money  on  the  truth  of  your  position  or 
the  accuracy  of  your  prophecy.  Betting  and  gambling  may 
begin  with  no  great  recklessness — with  little  more  than  a 
desire  to  add  a  new  thrill  of  sensation  to  one's  experience — 
that  low  motive  which  dictates  participation  in  many  forms  of 
pleasure ;  but  recklessness  steals  on  with  inevitable  certainty 
as  the  mania  of  losing  or  winning  works  in  a  man's  char- 
acter. Betting  frequently  Involves  also  the  attitude  of  "put 
up  or  shut  up,"  which  is  only  a  cocky  mood  of  foolish  pride. 

Over  against  this  mood  of  recklessness,  which  not  infre- 
quently goes  so  far  as  to  involve  men  in  financial  ruin  in  a 
single  night  of  play,  Jesus  brings  the  mood  of  earnestness 
and  a  sense  of  the  infinite  potentiality  of  all  a  man's  acts  and 
attitudes.  Over  against  the  heedlessness  of  consequences 
In  the  gambling  mood,  he  cries  out  to  his  men  again  and 
again,  as  he  sees  them  stumble  amid  the  laws  of  life:  "Take 
heed,  take  heed."  The  Interminable  possibihties  of  good  and 
evil  leaping  out  from  deeds  and  attitudes,  these  make  life 
thrilHng  and  significant.  The  mood  of  recklessness  in  the 
midst  of  these  possibilities  Is,  therefore,  the  mood  of  moral 
anarchy,  the  antithesis  of  that  sense  of  responsibility  which 
is  with  Jesus  so  distinguishing  a  quahty.  Jesus,  who  stands 
for  such  a  view  of  the  sacredness  of  human  life  as  is  written, 
in  his  words :  "The  very  hairs  of  your  head  are  all  numbered. 
...  Ye  are  of  more  value  than  many  sparrows,"  moves  In  a 

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BREAKUP  OF  FRIENDLY  ATHLETICS         [V] 

world  of  motive  and  purpose  which  is  at  the  farthest  remove 
from  the  mood  of  recklessness. 

Betting  and  gambling  depend  on  the  risking  of  money 
or  money's  worth.  What  are  money  and  money's  worth? 
Clearly  they  are  stored-up  value,  the  product  of  human  effort, 
the  result  of  labor  or  human  need,  the  coined  accumulation  of 
activity.  Money,  therefore,  is  in  a  real  sense  personality, 
fluid  personality.  This  truth  brings  into  operation  all  the 
fundamental  laws  of  Jesus  as  to  reverence  for  personaHty,  for 
no  man  who  incorporates  in  his  life  this  principle  will  do 
despite  to  himself  or  anyone  on  whom  he  is  dependent  by 
recklessly  risking  the  product  of  his  labor. 

Gambling  and  betting  depend  also  upon  the  mood  of  cupid- 
ity, of  inordinate  desire  for  gain.  Gambling  for  its  own  sake 
is  the  perfect  expression  of  the  commercialization  of  a  hfe. 
The  habitual  gambler  is  the  living  embodimont  of  that  love 
of  money  which  is  the  root  of  all  evil.  He  represents  the 
complete  distortion  of  the  values  of  life  as  Jesus  sees  them. 
Easy  cash  in  hand  and  stored  away  is  the  height  of  his 
desire,  the  object  of  his  activity.  Jesus  says  "Ye  cannot  serve 
God  and  mammon."  Any  man  who  makes  a  "winning"  and 
feels  leaping  up  in  him  the  mania  to  get  money  without  hon- 
est labor,  to  take  it  by  chance,  is  already  hypnotized  by  cupidity 
and  will  shortly  find  himself  the  servant  of  mammon.  Before 
he  knows  it,  says  Jesus,  he  will  commit  the  sin  of  the  com- 
plete distortion  of  values  and  fall  to  despising  God  himself. 

Self-Control  and  Forgiveness 

Any  real  facing  of  the  results  of  anger  in  athletics  is 
a  sobering  process.  The  singular  fact  about  this  so-called 
"natural"  temptation  is  that  it  knows  no  voluntary  stopping 
place  till  it  has  worked  its  brutal  will.  It  adds  fury  to  fury, 
blinding  the  judgment,  and  disregarding  the  results  of  the 
actions  which  it  commands.  It  has  meant  through  the  history 
of  mankind  not  merely  bitterness,  wrath,  malice,  and  brutality 
between  man  and  man,  but  blood  vengeance,   feuds,  the  ex- 

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[V]  CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

termination  of  whole  families,  tribes,  and  vast  populations 
in  wars  that  knew  no  other  way  to  end.  It  brings  with  it 
all  the  long  train  of  woe  and  degradation  that  follows  war. 
Anger  looks  like  a  sorry  business  when  one  thinks  it  over. 
Jesus  had  apparently  been  thinking  it  over  and  going  to  the 
root  of  it  when  he  said : 

Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said  to  them  of  old  time. 
Thou  shalt  not  kill ;  and  whosoever  shall  kill  shall  be 
in  danger  of  the  judgment:  but  I  say  unto  you,  that 
every  one  who  is  angry  with  his  brother  shall  be  in 
danger  of  the  judgment;  and  whosoever  shall  say 
to  his  brother,  Raca,  shall  be  in  danger  of  the  council ; 
and  whosoever  shall  say,  Thou  fool,  shall  be  in 
danger  of  the  hell  of  fire. — Matt.  5 :  21,  22. 

That  passage*  is  a  puzzler  to  most  men  till  they  think  out 
the  natural  consequences  of  unrestrained  anger.  Then  it 
clears  up,  for  he  is  reminding  us  that  anyone  who  so  loses 
his  reverence  for  personality  as  to  call  a  brother  an  imbecile, 
which  is  the  tragic  opposite  of  a  personality,  has  lost  his 
judgment,  and  is  likely  to  let  himself  go  completely.  He 
will  thus  incur  the  heaviest  penalty. 

It  is  interesting  to  discover  the  point  at  which  Jesus  says 
this  process  of  anger  must  stop,  the  point  to  which  it  is 
safe  to  let  it  go.  There  was  a  well  established  theory  about 
it  prevalent  in  his  day.  He  put  his  ideal  right  along  side  of 
it. 

Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said,  An  eye  for  an  eye, 
and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth :  but  I  say  unto  you,  Resist 
not  him  that  is  evil :  but  whosoever  smiteth  thee  on 
thy  right  cheek,  turn  to  him  the  other  also.  ...  Ye 
have  heard  that  it  was  said,  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neigh- 
bor, and  hate  thine  enemy :  but  I  say  unto  3^ou,  Love 
your  enemies,  and  pray  for  them  that  persecute  you; 
that  ye  may  be  sons  of  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven. 
...  Ye  therefore  shall  be  perfect,  as  your  heavenly 
Father  is  perfect.— Matt.  5  :  38-48. 
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BREAKUP  OF  FRIENDLY  ATHLETICS         [V] 

Obviously  the  point  at  which  anger  must  be  stamped  out 
is  the  very  point  at  which  it  begins.  Not  a  second's  tolera- 
tion, else  it  may  shout  out  a  curse  or  strike  a  deadlj^  blow. 
Jesus  can  never  forget  the  terrible  chain  of  consequences  that 
may  follow  like  an  explosion  of  dynamite  the  slightest  fan- 
ning of  the  flame. 

And  what  an  ideal  it  is  he  sets !  Literally  the  highest  and 
hardest  possible.  He  expects  of  his  followers  the  same 
quality  of  perfection  as  that  of  God  himself.  His  pictorial 
way  of  putting  it  clinches  the  point  and  leaves  no  loop  hole 
for  this  wily  bandit  of  anger  to  get  through.  Go  right  on 
playing  the  game !  It  isn't  safe  to  get  mad  even  for  a  minute ! 
Let  him  hit  the  other  cheek  if  he  wants  to !  Give  him  the 
chance !  The  chances  are  he  won't  do  it — it  takes  a  pretty 
low  scoundrel  to  hit  a  man  a  second  time  who  doesn't  hit 
back !  But  whatever  happens  you'll  win  out  in  the  end ! 
Keep  your  head !  Play  the  game !  Don't  forget  that  murder- 
ous chain  of  terrible  consequences !  This  is  the  only  way 
to  keep  free  of  it ! 

Jesus  frankly  admits  it  isn't  the  natural  human  way  to  do — 
no,  but  he  does  say  it  is  the  Godlike  way  to  do !  It  is  just  the 
sort  of  treatment  you  expect  from  God,  and  just  the  sort 
of  treatment  he  gives  you  in  his  marvelous  forgiveness.  It 
is  that  sort  of  paradoxically  "unnatural"  action  which  turns 
the  bitterness  of  the  world  into  peace,  puts  a  stop  to  war  and 
lifts  men  into  the  comprehension  of  those  vast  processes  of 
divine  love,  which  are  the  manifestations  of  God  at  work  in 
human  life,  which  alone  bring  in  the  new  social  order.  Jesus 
goes  the  limit  of  the  perfect  paradox  when  he  says,  "Love 
your  enemies,  and  pray  for  them  that  persecute  you" ;  but  he 
also  says  God  does  it  too.  He  requires  nothing  that  he  does 
not  exemplify,  and  the  sublimity  with  which  Christ  himself 
forgave  the  enemies  who  railed  at  him  after  they  had  nailed 
him  to  the  cross  has  compelled  the  instinctive  admiration  of 
the  world.  All  the  v/ay  through  his  life  he  held  aloft  this 
stern  requirement  of  his  great  ideal — an  absolute  necessity  in 
the  new  social  order  in  which  men  are  to  live  together  in 

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[V]  CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

peace  and  beauty  of  mutual  helpfulness.  It  is  the  eternal 
necessity  of  forgiveness,  the  perfect  antithesis  of  personal 
animosity.  "Jesus  saith  unto  him,  I  say  not  unto  thee.  Until 
seven  times ;  but,  Until  seventy  times  seven." 

Now  this  exalted  standard  does  not  mean  that  personal 
injustice  and  intended  injury  are  to  be  utterly  ignored.  Far 
from  it.  That  would  be  to  obliterate  the  power  of  distinction 
between  right  and  wrong,  justice  and  injustice.  The  ideal 
set  by  Jesus  has  to  do  only  with  the  way  one  is  to  take 
injustice,  the  way  it  is  to  be  handled.  To  handle  it  at  all 
involves  recognizing  it  for  what  it  is.  Jesus  therefore  sug- 
gests a  way  to  clear  up  a  matter  of  personal  injustice  which 
may  remain  even  when  one  has  not  hit  back  and  has  no  bitter- 
ness in  his  heart. 

And  if  thy  brother  sin  against  thee,  go,  show  him 
his  fault  between  thee  and  him  alone:  if  he  hear  thee, 
thou  hast  gained  thy  brother.  But  if  he  hear  thee 
not,  take  with  thee  one  or  two  more,  that  at  the 
mouth  of  two  witnesses  or  three  every  word  may  be 
established.  And  if  he  refuse  to  hear  them,  tell  it 
unto  the  church:  and  if  he  refuse  to  hear  the  church 
also,  let  him  be  unto  thee  as  the  Gentile  and  the  pub- 
lican.— Matt.  i8:  15-17. 

Paul  suggests  that  God  with  his  larger  vision  of  human  life 
can  better  dispense  justice  than  we.  It  is  clearlj^  an  excellent 
plan  to  let  him  do  it. 

Render  to  no  man  evil  for  evil.  Take  thought  for 
things  honorable  in  the  sight  of  all  men.  If  it  be 
possible,  as  much  as  in  you  lieth,  be  at  peace  with  all 
men.  Avenge  not  yourselves,  beloved,  but  give  place 
unto  the  wrath  of  God :  for  it  is  written.  Vengeance 
belongeth  unto  me ;  I  will  recompense,  saith  the  Lord. 
— Rom.  12:  17-19. 

Victory  in  athletics  is  absolutely  dependent  on  the  quaUty 
of  self-control  which  is  necessary  for  forgiveness,  says  Paul, 

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BREAKUP   OF   FRIENDLY  ATHLETICS     [V-i] 

whether  it's  running  or  boxing  or  any  other  game.  "Every- 
man that  striveth  in  the  games  exerciseth  self-control  in  all 
things." 

The  self -controlled  man,  says  Jesus,  enjoys  himself  as  he 
goes  along,  keeping  his  temper.  He  gets  to  see  the  humor 
and  the  tragedy  of  men's  flaring  up  at  each  other  all  the 
time  like  gamecocks  or  bulldogs.  He  takes  a  good-natured 
hand  at  calling  them  off  now  and  then.  "Blessed,"  says  he, 
"are  the  peacemakers :  for  they  shall  be  called  the  children 
of  God." 

Over  against  all  brutality  of  whatever  sort  Jesus  stands  in 
majestic  opposition — the  Man  of  Poise  and  Gentleness.  He 
could  no  more  authorize  anger  than  he  could  authorize  war, 
for  angry  blows  are  to  personal  relationships  what  war  is 
to  the  social  order.  He  hated  both  with  a  perfect  hatred — 
sources  of  murder  and  anarchy  that  they  are.  Theirs  is 
the  power  that  sets  back  the  Kingdom,  and  ever  the  inner 
urge  with  Jesus  was.  The  Kingdom  of  "Peace  on  Earth, 
Good  Will  to  Men,"  must  be  established. 


Daily  Readings 

1.  "Bad  blood"  between  athletes  is  far  too  frequent.  Evi- 
dently there  was  bitterness  among  those  to  whom  John  wrote 
the  first  Epistle.  The  sin  of  hatred  is  much  on  his  heart. 
What  does  he  set  over  against  it  all  through  his  letter? 

If  a  man  say,  I  love  God,  and  hateth  his  brother,  he 
is  a  liar :  for  he  that  loveth  not  his  brother  whom  he 
hath  seen,  cannot  love  God  whom  he  hath  not  seen. 
And  this  commandment  have  we  from  him,  that  he 
who  loveth  God  love  his  brother  also. — I  John  4 :  20, 
21. 

2.  "You're  a  good  waiter,  old  man."  How  valuable  to  the 
athlete  is  his  poise,  his  ability  to  bide  his  time? 

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[V-3]       CHRISTIANITY   AND   AMUSEMENTS 

Yea,  and  for  this  very  cause  adding  on  your  part  all 
diligence,  in  your  faith  supply  virtue ;  and  in  your 
virtue  knowledge ;  and  in  your  knowledge  self-con- 
trol ;  and  in  your  self-control  patience ;  and  in  your 
patience  godliness ;  and  in  your  godliness  brotherly 
kindness ;  and  in  your  brotherly  kindness  love. — 11 
Peter  i :  5-7. 

3.  Is  gentleness  of  spirit  to  be  Identified  with  ladylike 
demeanor?  "The  humblest  man  I  have  known  is  a  certain 
big  policeman — a  giant  of  a  fellow  whom  every  evil-doer 
fears  and  little  children  love." 

Put  on  therefore,  as  God's  elect,  holy  and  beloved, 
a  heart  of  compassion,  kindness,  lowliness,  meekness, 
long-sujEiPerlng ;  forbearing  one  another,  and  forgiv- 
ing each  other,  if  any  man  have  a  complaint  against 
any ;  even  as  the  Lord  forgave  you,  so  also  do  ye : 
and  above  all  these  things  put  on  love,  which  is  the 
bond  of  perfectness.  And  let  the  peace  of  Christ  rule 
In  your  hearts,  to  the  which  also  ye  were  called  in  one 
body;  and  be  ye  thankful. — Col.  3:  12-15. 

4.  The  author  of  the  Hebrews  had  in  mind  an  ancient 
stadium  full  of  spectators  at  a  great  running  race  when  he 
said : 

Therefore  let  us  also,  seeing  we  are  compassed 
about  with  so  great  a  cloud  of  witnesses,  lay  aside 
every  weight,  and  the  sin  which  doth  so  easily  beset 
us,  and  let  us  run  with  patience  the  race  that  is  set 
before  us,  looking  unto  Jesus  the  author  and  perfecter 
of  our  faith,  who  for  the  joy  that  was  set  before  him 
endured  the  cross,  despising  shame,  and  hath  sat 
down  at  the  right  hand  of  the  throne  of  God. — Heb. 
12:  I,  2. 

5.  Some  Christian  men  on  athletic  teams  wield  every  pos- 
sible influence  to  get  themselves  elected  to  the  captaincy. 
They  know  how  the  man  in  the  parable  felt  when  they  lose 
out.    How  do  they  feel  when  they  win  by  such  methods  ? 

94 


BREAKUP   OF   FRIENDLY  ATHLETICS     [V-6] 

And  he  spake  a  parable  unto  those  that  were  bidden, 
when  he  marked  how  they  chose  out  the  chief  seats ; 
saying  unto  them,  When  thou  art  bidden  of  any  man 
to  a  marriage  feast,  sit  not  down  in  the  chief  seat; 
lest  haply  a  more  honorable  man  than  thou  be  bidden 
of  him,  and  he  that  bade  thee  and  him  shall  come  and 
say  to  thee.  Give  this  man  place ;  and  then  thou  shalt 
begin  with  shame  to  take  the  lowest  place.  But  when 
thou  art  bidden,  go  and  sit  down  in  the  lowest  place ; 
that  when  he  that  hath  bidden  thee  cometh,  he  may 
say  to  thee.  Friend,  go  up  higher :  then  shalt  thou  have 
glory  in  the  presence  of  all  that  sit  at  meat  with  thee. 
For  every  one  that  exalteth  himself  shall  be  humbled ; 
and  he  that  humbleth  himself  shall  be  exalted. — Luke 
14:7-11. 

6.  Some  college  men  who  couldn't  catch  an  easy  pop  fly 
are  first  to  criticize  the  second  baseman  for  missing  a  stiff 
grounder.  The  same  men  "knock"  the  captain  instead  of 
supporting  him.  How  deep  down  into  character  does  that 
attitude  run  ?  Jesus  makes  an  illuminating  comment  on  this 
habit. 

Judge  not,  that  ye  be  not  judged.  For  with  what 
judgment  ye  judge,  ye  shall  be  judged:  and  with 
what  measure  ye  mete,  it  shall  be  measured  unto  you. 
And  why  beholdest  thou  the  mote  that  is  in  thy 
brother's  eye,  and  considerest  not  the  beam  that  is  in 
thine  own  eye?  Or  how  wilt  thou  say  to  thy  brother, 
Let  me  cast  out  the  mote  out  of  thine  eye ;  and  lo,  the 
beam  is  in  thine  own  eye?  Thou  hypocrite,  cast  out 
first  the  beam  out  of  thine  own  eye ;  and  then  shalt 
thou  see  clearly  to  cast  out  the  mote  out  of  thy 
brother's  eye. — Matt.  7  :  1-5. 

7.  Back  of  brutality  in  athletics,  in  business,  in  labor  strife, 
and  war,  lies  the  spirit  in  the  hearts  of  men  that  produces  it. 
How  well  James  knew  that  spirit  and  its  opposite. 

But  if  3^e  have  bitter  jealousy  and  faction  in  3'our 
heart,  glory  not  and  lie  not  against  the  truth.     This 

95 


[V-s]        CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

wisdom  is  not  a  wisdom  that  cometh  down  from 
above,  but  is  earthly,  sensual,  devilish.  For  where 
jealousy  and  faction  are,  there  is  confusion  and  every 
vile  deed.  But  the  wisdom  that  is  from  above  is  first 
pure,  then  peaceable,  gentle,  easy  to  be  entreated,  full 
of  mercy  and  good  fruits,  without  variance,  without 
hypocrisy.  And  the  fruit  of  righteousness  is  sown  in 
peace  for  them  that  make  peace. — James  3 :  14-18. 


Suggestions  for  Thought  and  Discussion 

What  are  the  chief  values  which  come  from  friendly  athletics? 
To  those  who  participate?    To  society  at  large? 


What  are   the  leading  influences  tending  to   the  breakup  of 
friendly  athletics? 

How  far  does  the  habit  of  cheating  affect  the  reliability  of 
a  man's  play?    That  of  his  team  mates?     His  opponents? 

What  sort  of  influence  is  exerted  upon  an  amateur  team 
"by  the  presence  of  a  secretly  paid  professional? 

In  what  ways  does  betting  foster  professionalism? 

Does  the  man  who  bets  on  the  game  stand  on  the  same 
moral  basis  as  he  who  secretly  sells  his  playing  skill? 

To  what  extremes  is  anger  in  athletics  likely  to  lead? 

To  what  extent  is  the  policy  of  "win  at  any  cost"  respon- 
sible for  the  evils  of  athletics? 


What  principles  of  Jesus  are  most  needed  in  athletics? 

What  has  a  man's  Christianity  to  do  with  the  way  he  acts 
as  a  spectator? 

What    psychological    contributions    does    honesty    make    to 
athletic  efficiency? 

What  are  the  chief  reasons  why  the  Christian  man  should 
not  bet? 

In  what  ways  is  good  team  play  an  expression  of  Christian 
spirit? 

How  stiff  a  test  does  Jesus  set  for  the  control  of  anger? 
96 


BREAKUP  OF  FRIENDLY  ATHLETICS      [V-s] 

What  are  the  fundamental  points  of  emphasis  in  a  Christian 
athletic  policy  f 

In  what  ways  are  "athletics  to  win"  incompatible  with 
Christianity? 

What  alterations  in  college  athletics  would  be  necessitated 
by  the  appHcation  of  Jesus'  principles? 

Would  public  opinion  among  students  support  a  thoroughly 
Christian  policy?  Would  opposition  be  most  likely  to  come 
from  players,  coaches,  or  student  body? 

Which  policy  in  athletics  makes  the  larger  contribution  to 
college  loyalty — an  "athletics  for  all"  policy,  or  the  present 
intercollegiate  system?     Which  to  college  morality? 

In  what  ways  can  a  Christian  athlete  influence  his  college 
for  righteousness? 


97 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  CONTAGION  OF  CROWD  IN- 
FLUENCE AND  CHRISTIAN 
INTEGRITY 

The  Influence  of  the  Crowd 

This  is  an  element  of  deep  significance  in  every  type  of 
amusement,  but  shows  most  conspicuously  in  special  amuse- 
ment places  and  events  where  great  masses  of  people  so  throng 
together  that  the  prevalent  state  of  mind  approximates  or 
becomes  crowd-consciousness.  No  single  feature  of  our 
study  is  more  worthy  of  consideration  than  this  influence  of 
great  numbers  of  people  upon  one  another — the  laws  of  crowd 
contagion  as  they  affect  conduct  and  character.  They  need 
to  be  carefully  studied  to  arrive  at  a  full  understanding  of 
the  issues  involved,  but  it  must  suffice  here  to  quote  as  fol- 
lows : 

"The  crowd  self  is  immoral.  To  be  sure,  it  Is  capable 
of  courage  and  generosity,  even  of  honesty.  The  crowd  is 
emotional  and  some  of  its  emotions  may  be  moral.  On  the 
whole,  however,  the  virtues  grow  on  an  intellectual  stalk. 
Right  conduct  is  thought-out  conduct.  Conscience  is  a  way  of 
thinking  things.  Now  thronging  paralyzes  thought,  and  while 
the  crowd  may  be  sentimental  and  heroic,  it  will  lack 
the  virtues  born  of  self-control — veracity,  prudence,  thrift, 
perseverance,  respect  for  another's  rights,  obedience  to  law. 
Essentially  atavistic  and  sterile,  the  crowd  ranks  as  the  low- 
est of  the  forms  of  human  association."  "Feelings,  having 
more  means  of  vivid  expression,  run  through  the  crowd  more 
readily  than  ideas.  To  the  degree  that  feehng  is  intensified, 
reason  is  paralyzed.  In  general,  strong  emption  inhibits  the 
intellectual  processes.    In  a  sudden  crisis  we  expect  the  sane 

98 


CONTAGION  OF  CROWD  INFLUENCE        [VI] 

act  from  the  man  who  is  'cool,'  who  has  not  'lost  his  head/ 
Now,  the  very  hurly-burly  of  the  crowd  tends  to  distraction. 
Then  the  high  pitch  of  feeling  to  which  the  crowd  gradually 
v/orks  up  checks  thinking  and  results  in  a  temporary  imbe- 
cility." ' 

The  individual  under  crowd  control  is  thus   described : 

"We  see,  then,  at  the  disappearance  of  the  conscious  per- 
sonaHty,  the  predominance  of  the  unconscious  personahty,  the 
turning  by  means  of  suggestion  and  contagion  of  feelings  and 
ideas  in  an  identical  direction,  the  tendency  to  immediately 
transform  the  suggested  ideas  into  acts;  these,  we  see,  are 
the  principal  characteristics  of  the  individual  forming  part  of 
a  crowd.  He  is  no  longer  himself,  but  has  become  an  autom- 
aton who  has  ceased  to  be  guided  by  his  will.  Moreover, 
by  the  mere  fact  that  he  forms  part  of  an  organized  crowd, 
a  man  descends  several  rungs  in  the  ladder  of  civilization. 
Isolated,  he  may  be  a  cultivated  individual ;  in  a  crowd  he  is 
a  barbarian,  that  is,  a  creature  acting  by  instinct.  An  indi- 
vidual in  a  crowd  is  a  grain  of  sand  amid  other  grains  of 
sand,  which  the  wind  stirs  up  at  will."  ^ 


The  Contagion  of  Crozvd  Influence  in  Special  Amuse- 
ment Places  and  Events 

The  successful  amusement  park  is  the  very  stronghold  of 
the  crowd  spirit.  Witness  your  own  sensations  in  the  calm 
light  of  a  soHtary  morning  visit  to  such  a  park  after  a  crowd 
has  left  it  dishevelled  from  a  night  of  feverish  revelry.  It 
is  this  same  spirit  which  frequently  dominates  the  street 
carnival,  the  celebration  of  holidays,  especially  the  Fourth  of 
Julj',  and  many  athletic  celebrations,  excursions,  outings,  and 
county  fairs.  Every  promoter  of  an  amusement  resort  or 
event  knows  well  enough  that  his  enterprise  is  doomed  to 
failure  unless  he  "gets  the  crowd" — unless  he  can  work  up 


1  E.  A.  Ross,  "Social  Psychology,"  pp.  56,  46. 
^Gustave  Le  Bon,  "The  Crowd,"  pp.  35,  36. 

99 


[VI]         CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

the  "carnival  'spirit."  It  is  essential  to  recognize  that  crowd 
consciousness  is  often  thus  deliberately  worked  up  and  used 
by  commercial  exploiters  solely  for  a  maximum  financial 
profit.  The  average  unsupervised  amusement  resort  is  indeed 
a  spectacular  expression  of  the  commercial  spirit  dominating 
the  people's  play.  The  universal  presence  of  the  gambling 
mania  at  race  track  parks  is  indication  enough  of  the  crowd 
contagion  there.  Almost  every  temptation  present  in  other 
phases  of  the  Amusement  Problem  is  present  in  those  spe- 
cial resorts  and  events,  and  the  virtues  needed  there  are 
peculiarly  needed  here,  for  the  average  amusement  resort  in 
full  blast  is  merely  a  jumble  of  all  sorts  of  commercial  offer- 
ings poured  into  one  place,  just  as  the  street  carnival  is  a 
like  jumble  poured  into  one  space  of  time.  It  is  the  com- 
bination of  offerings  in  glittering  ensemble  which  creates  the 
distinctive  characteristics  and  the  distinctive  temptations. 
Among  the  moral  dangers  already  treated,  those  of  the  Social 
Rendezvous  group,  temptations  of  personal  intimacy  are 
especially  aggravated  here  by  the  ease  with  which  the  innocent 
under  multiplied  and  insistent  suggestions  can  be  seduced 
into  intoxication  and  immorality  in  the  space  of  a  few  hours, 
and  the  whole  gamut  of  illicit  relations  foisted  upon  them. 
The  powers  of  contagion  and  suggestibility  are  at  their 
maximum.  The  sale  of  liquor  and  immorality  are  often  at 
their  worst.  The  virtues  of  self-reverence  and  self-control, 
purity  and  reverence  for  personality,  are  put  to  the  severest 
test  under  such  circumstances,  and  many  "first  lapses"  from 
virtue  are  traceable  to  these  resorts  or  events. 

The  distinctive  temptation  of  amusement  resorts  and  events, 
therefore,  is  to  be  swept  along  with  the  crowd  into  doing 
that  which  one  would  not  do  save  for  its  presence — to  throw 
caution  to  the  winds,  "to  let  yourself  go,"  to  throw  privacy 
over  to  promiscuity,  "to  be  a  good  mixer,"  and  "to  go  the 
limit,"  whatever  degree  of  excess  that  may  mean  to  any  super- 
Ijeated  individual.  It  is  this  temptation  which  is  perfectly 
expressed  in  that  song  of  basic  immorahty,  the  refrain  of 
which  is,  "Cheer,  cheer,  the  gang's  all  here.     What  the  

100 


CONTAGION  OF  CROWD  INFLUENCE       [VIJ 

do  we  care  now."  That  is  precisely  the  attitude  which  throws 
on  the  emotional  power  for  the  execution  of  any  suggestion 
which  may  get  possession  of  a  muddle-headed  crowd  con- 
sciousness. 

The  special  amusement  event  in  addition  to  the  crowd 
temptation  brings  with  it  a  distinctive  temptation  of  sud- 
denness. It  is  the  unexpected  suggestion  catching  the  unwary 
and  suddenly  undoing  him  which  needs  careful  study  here. 
Many  times  a  special  hohday  is  planned ^by  a  family  or  group 
of  young  people.  A  journey  is  determined  long  in  advance. 
Money  is  saved.  Flamboyant  advertising  whets  the  appetite. 
Work  is  rushed  on  the  day  before,  leaving  nervous  tension 
and  weakened  resistance  power  on  the  day  itself.  When  the 
great  day  comes  habitual  actions  are  abandoned  and  one  is 
thrust  into  a  new  set  of  conditions  and  influences  in  which  he 
has  little  experience  or  established  habit  to  guide  him.  Dazed 
with  Winding  lights,  freedom,  and  money  to  spend,  there 
follows  a  steady  pelting  of  solicitations  to  feel  new  thrills  of 
pleasure  in  variegated  "stunts"  and  side  shows,  to  drink,  to 
gamble,  and  to  indulge  in  immorality.  The  suddenness  of 
it  all,  the  unexpectedness  of  the  situation  which  develops,  the 
crowd  spirit,  and  ignorance  of  the  results  of  yielding^ 
these  have  given  to  many  special  amusement  events  the  deadly 
power  to  launch  a  boy  or  a  girl  on  a  life  of  evil  and  to  scar 
the  memory  of  countless  men  and  women  with  the  hateful 
recollection  of  unintended  sin.  This  is  the  distinctive  danger 
of  athletic  celebrations  and  similar  functions  in  college  com- 
munities. 

In  relation  to  special  amusement  events  it  is  in  place  to 
consider  the  prevalent  use  of  Sunday  as  a  special  amusement 
day.  Sunday  is  the  record  day  of  the  week  at  Coney  Island 
and  similar  resorts.  Sunday  baseball  draws  enormous  crowds 
in  many  cities.  Sunday  breaks  the  record  at  the  motion  pic- 
ture shows,  and  often  at  the  public  dance  halls.  The  atmos- 
phere which  pervades  amusement  offerings  on  Sunday  is 
little  different  from  that  which  prevails  on  week  days.  More 
than  this  it  is  necessary  to  recognize  the  truth  presented  in 


[VI]         CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

such  statements  as  these:  "Sunday  is  to  a  great  extent,  for 
city  children  at  least,  a  day  of  lawlessness  and  demoral- 
ization. .  .  .  Sunday  is  at  present  the  especial  day  for  the 
planning  and  carrying  out  of  mischief  and  law  breaking  in 
various  forms,  and  in  particular  it  is,  among  city  boys, 
very  largely  devoted  to  gambling.  Whatever  the  explanation 
may  be,  Sunday  is,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  for  great  numbers, 
if  not  the  majority  of  our  children,  a  radiating  center  of  evil 
tendencies  for  the  entire  week."  ^  This  generalization  is 
doubtless  almost  equally  true  for  adults,  for  it  is  evident  that 
the  general  popular  use  of  Sunday  widely  misses  the  mark 
of  the   Christian  ideal. 

From  the  point  of  view  of  this  ideal  the  outstanding  temp- 
tation of  amusements  in  relation  to  Sabbath  observance  is 
that  the  day  shall  be  robbed  of  its  distinctive  character 
and  special  joy.  It  is  the  easy  tolerance  of  a  mood  which 
keeps  one  from  worship,  from  the  vital  process  of  the  redis- 
covery of  one's  worth  and  meaning  in  the  world.  The  atmos- 
phere of  certain  hours  of  the  Christian  Sabbath,  hallowed 
through  long  centuries  for  this  experience,  may  as  easily  be 
kept  unworshipful  by  trivial  idling  as  by  boisterous  pleasures. 
It  is,  however,  in  the  widespread  temptation  to  make  the 
Sabbath  a  special  day  for  amusement  rather  than  a  day  of 
special  joy  which  is  the  temptation  closest  to  our  present 
study.  There  is  a  sharp  difference  between  the  mood  of 
Christian  happiness  and  the  prevailing  spirit  of  commercial- 
ized amusement.  While  it  is  true  that  within  certain  limits 
the  whole  question  is  more  one  of  the  mood  and  attitude  with 
which  one  seeks  his  recreation  on  Sunday,  the  atmosphere  he 
shares  and  helps  to  create,  than  of  the  specific  place  to  which 
he  goes  or  the  things  he  does,  still  the  temptation  is  every- 
where sweeping  through  modern  social  life  to  make  the  Sab- 
bath merely  a  holiday — a  special  event  with  all  the  typical 
characteristics  present. 


1  Joseph  Lee,  "Sunday  Play,"  President's  address  delivered  at  Fourth 
Annual  Congress  of  the  Playgrovind  Association  of  America,  Mind  and  Body, 
April,  1911.  PP-  75-82. 

102 


CONTAGION  OF  CROWD  INFLUENCE       [VIT 

The  Principles  of  Jesus  in  Relation  to  These  Tempta- 
tions 

Independence   and  Personal  Integrity. 

Over  against  all  weak-kneed  following  of  the  crowd,  Jesus 
puts  his  demand  for  a  Hfe  of  fundamental  independence  and 
personal  integrity.  Face  to  face  with  mob  mind  or  crowd 
suggestion  a  man  is  to  be  a  whole  man  with  his  best  powers 
of  mind  and  conscience  in  absolute  control.  Jesus  builds  his 
reliance  on  human  nature,  upon  the  dominance  in  his  men 
of  their  "primary  self."  The  weaker  and  the  baser  sugges- 
tions from  without  as  well  as  the  weaker  and  baser  men 
within  them  are  to  stand  back  at  the  behest  of  the  strongest 
man  of  their  manhood. 

"The  primary  self  is  the  self  with  personality  and  will.  It 
is,  as  it  were,  a  synthesis  of  all  one's  experience.  It  alone 
embodies  the  results  of  reflection,  and  it  alone  holds  life  to 
a  personal  ideal.  It  is  the  captain  of  the  ship.  When  it  is  able 
to  fight  back  the  mutinous  crew  that  swarm  up  from  the  fore- 
castle— the  appetites  and  passions — and  to  hold  the  ship  to 
her  course  in  spite  of  side  winds  and  cross  currents — sugges- 
tions from  without — we  have  a  character.  If  now  this  primary 
self  is  overthrown  or  put  to  sleep,  the  subwaking  self  becomes 
master  of  the  ship.  This  self  has  little  reason,  will,  or  con- 
science. It  has  sense,  appetite,  emotion,  intelligence  but  not 
character.  It  is  imitative,  servile,  credulous,  swung  hither  and 
thither  by  all  sorts  of  incoming  suggestions.  The  life  it 
prompts  cannot  be  stable,  self-consistent,  integrated.  It  is  low 
on  the  scale  of  personaHty,  and  a  situation  that  commits  to  its 
hands  the  helm  of  the  individual  life  is  fraught  with  dis- 
aster." ^ 

This  "primary  self,"  these  inner  fastnesses  of  personality, 
were  always  at  the  focus  in  Jesus'  thinking.  Inwardness  of 
life,  independence  of  praise  or  ridicule,  fearless  following 
of  the  inner  leadings  instead  of  the  outer  suggestions,  supe- 
riority to   crowd  dominance,   however  sharp   and  lonely  the 

^E.  A.  Ross,  "Social  Psychology,"  p.  27. 
103 


IVI]         CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

struggle — these  are  essentials  with  him  who  feared  not  the 
face  of  any  crowd  though  "they  cried  out  exceedingly,  Crucify 
him,  crucifj^  him,"  though  "they  railed  on  him,  wagging  their 
heads."  How  clearly  he  sets  forth  this  necessary  independ- 
ence and  coherence  of  character  when  he  says, 

Either  make  the  tree  good,  and  its  fruit  good;  or 
make  the  tree  corrupt,  and  its  fruit  corrupt:  for  the 
tree  is  known  by  its  fruit.  The  good  man  out  of  his 
good  treasure  bringeth  forth  good  things :  and  the  evil 
man  out  of  his  evil  treasure  bringeth  forth  evil  things. 
—Matt.  12:33,  35. 

Inwardness  of  life  in  the  thought  of  Jesus,  however,  is  never 
for  the  sake  of  mystical  contemplation  or  thrills  of  ecstatic 
emotion.  Inspiration  with  Jesus  is  always  functional.  An 
exalted  vision  reveals  how  much  there  is  to  do.  Courageous 
action  is  the  normal  result  of  strong  coherence  in  the  inner 
life.  Only  by  positive  independence  and  bold  opposition  to 
evil  can  one  detach  himself  from  insidious  suggestions  to 
participate  in  pleasures  worked  up  by  the  commercial  insti- 
gators of  crowd  action.  No  passive  resistance  is  safe.  An 
assertive  courage  alone  suffices. 

His  superiority  to  the  worst  manifestations  of  crowd  frenzy 
is  shown  in  the  hour  of  his  utter  extremity  when  he  prayed 
with  that  majestic  poise  of  spirit  which  he  never  lost:  "Father, 
forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what  they  do." 

Jesus  expects  of  his  men  likewise  that  they  shall  pay  the 
price  in  following  his  principles. 

Enter  yt  in  by  the  narrow  gate :  for  wide  is  the 
gate,  and  broad  is  the  way,  that  leadeth  to  destruction, 
and  many  are  they  that  enter  in  thereby.  For  narrow 
is  the  gate,  and  straitened  the  way,  that  leadeth  unto 
Hfe,  and  few  are  they  that  find  it. — Matt.  7:  13,  14. 

Paul  was  not  missing  the  spirit  of  Jesus  when  he  wrote : 

Watch  ye,  stand  fast  in  the  faith,  quit  you  like  men, 
be  strong. — I  Cor.  16 :  13. 

104 


CONTAGION  OF  CROWD  INFLUENCE       [VIJ 

For  freedom  did  Christ  set  us  free :  stand  fast 
therefore,  and  be  not  entangled  again  in  a  yoke  of 
bondage. — Gal.   5:1. 

Only  let  your  manner  of  life  be  worthy  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ :  that,  whether  I  come  and  see  you  or 
be  absent,  I  may  hear  of  your  state,  that  ye  stand  fast 
in  one  spirit,  with  one  soul  striving  for  the  faith  of 
the  gospel. — Phil,  i :  27. 

Anyone  who  seeks  to  follow  after  these  ideals,  and  yet 
finds  himself  in  a  place  where  evil  suggestion  and  the  crowd 
spirit  bring  the  sense  of  shame  and  begin  to  sweep  him  off 
his  feet,  must  act  instantly  with  fearless  independence.  He 
may  indeed  be  called  upon  to  oppose  all  his  friends  as  he 
bravely  follows  the  leading  of  the  voice  within. 

Preparedness  and  Reserve  Power. 

Jesus  expected  his  men  to  be  ready  for  sudden  temptation. 
They  were  not  to  be  caught  off-guard.  The  sense  of  the 
urgency  of  the  Kingdom  was  to  be  ever  upon  them. 

Let  your  loins  be  girded  about,  and  your  lamps 
burning ;  and  be  ye  yourselves  like  unto  men  looking 
for  their  lord. — Luke  12  :  35,  2»^. 

We  must  work  the  works  of  him  that  sent  me, 
while  it  is  day:  the  night  cometh,  when  no  man  can 
work. — John  9  :  4. 

Some  of  Jesus'  most  telling  parables  have  to  do  with  these 
essential  virtues  of  forethought,  preparedness,  resourceful- 
ness, which  are  so  closely  akin  to  independence  and  coher- 
ence of  character. 

Then  shall  the  kingdom  of  heaven  be  likened  unto 
ten  virgins,  who  took  their  lamps,  and  went  forth  to 
meet  the  bridegroom.  And  five  of  them  were  foolish, 
and  five  were  wise.  For  the  foolish,  when  the}'  took 
their  lamps,  took  no  oil  with  them :  but  the  wise  took 
oil  in  their  vessels  with  their  lamps.  Now  while  the 
bridegroom  tarried,  they  all  slumbered  and  slept.    But 

105 


[VI]         CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

at  midnight  there  is  a  cry,  Behold,  the  bridegroom! 
Come  ye  forth  to  meet  him.  Then  all  those  virgins 
arose,  and  trimmed  their  lamps.  And  the  foolish  said 
unto  the  wise,  Give  us  of  your  oil;  for  our  lamps  are 
going  out.  But  the  wise  answered,  saying,  Peradven- 
ture  there  will  not  be  enough  for  us  and  you :  go  ye 
rather  16  them  that  sell,  and  buy  for  yourselves. 
And  while  they  went  away  to  buy,  the  bridegroom 
came ;  and  they  that  were  ready  went  in  with  him  to 
the  marriage  feast :  and  the  door  was  shut.  After- 
ward came  also  the  other  virgins,  saying.  Lord,  Lord, 
open  to  us.  But  he  answered  and  said,  Verily  I  say 
unto  you,  I  know  you  not.  Watch  therefore,  for  ye 
know  not  the  day  nor  the  hour. — Matt.  25  :  1-13. 

Take  ye  heed,  watch  and  pray:  for  ye  know  not 
when  the  time  is.  It  is  as  when  a  man,  sojourning  in 
another  country,  having  left  his  house,  and  given 
authority  to  his  servants,  to  each  one  his  work,  com- 
manded also  the  porter  to  watch.  Watch  therefore : 
for  ye  know  not  when  the  lord  of  the  house  cometh, 
whether  at  even,  or  at  midnight,  or  at  cockcrowing, 
or  in  the  morning;  lest  coming  suddenly  he  find  you 
sleeping.  And  what  I  say  unto  you  I  say  unto  all. 
Watch.— Mark  12,'-3Z-Z7- 

In  the  untold  agony  of  the  garden,  with  the  weight  of  the 
Kingdom  crushing  him  to  the  earth,  his  best  loved  men  still 
misunderstanding  him,  and  unprepared  to  carry  on  his  mes- 
sage, he  yearns  to  find  one  man  alert,  prepared  for  the  vigil, 
ready  at  ihe  time  of  crisis  with  reserves  of  character. 

And  he  cometh  unto  the  disciples,  and  findeth  them 
sleeping,  and  saith  unto  Peter,  What,  could  ye  not 
watch  v/ith  me  one  hour?  Watch  and  pray,  that  ye 
enter  not  into  temptation :  the  spirit  indeed  is  willing, 
but  the  flesh  is  weak.— Matt.  26:40,  41. 

The  Sabbath  a  Day  of  Special  Joy. 

What  sort  of  a  special  day  was  the  Christian  Sabbath 
meant  to  be?    After  his  Baptism  and  Temptation  Jesus  comes 

106 


CONTAGION  OF  CROWD  INFLUENCE       [VI] 

back  to  his  old  home  town  and  in  one  simple  act  reveals  both 
his  habit  in  regard  to  the  Sabbath  and  the  principles  which 
should  settle  mooted  questions  in  regard  to  it. 

And  he  came  to  Nazareth,  where  he  had  been 
brought  up :  and  he  entered,  as  his  custom  was,  into 
the  synagogue  on  the  sabbath  day,  and  stood  up  to 
read.  And  there  was  delivered  unto  him  the  book 
of  the  prophet  Isaiah.  And  he  opened  the  book, 
and  found  the  place  where  it  was  written. 
The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me. 
Because  he  anointed  me  to  preach  good  tidings  to 

the  poor : 
He  hath  sent  me  to  proclaim  release  to  the  cap- 
tives, 
And  recovering  of   sight  to  the   blind. 
To  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised. 
To  proclaim  the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord. 

— Luke  4:16-19. 

Manifestly  his  habit  was  a  reverent  observance  of  the  Sab- 
bath day,  and  accorded  with  the  custom  of  his  friends  and 
neighbors  save  where  that  observance  clashed  with  his  own 
higher  principles  of  duty.  These  higher  principles  are  those 
by  which  he  works  for  the  achievement  of  the  new  order 
as  indicated  in  his  social  program  above.  Jesus  put  human 
welfare  above  every  other  consideration  in  the  observance  of 
the  Sabbath. 

And  he  said  unto  them.  The  sabbath  was  made  for 
man,  and  not  man  for  the  sabbath :  so  that  the  Son  of 
man  is  lord  even  of  the  sabbath. — Mark  2 :  27. 

This  is  "the  principle  that  the  Sabbath  was  not  an  end,  but 
a  means  to  an  end.  That  end  is  man — his  real  interests  and 
needs.  He  repudiates  all  rules  which  place  the  Sabbath 
above  human  interests  or  make  it  a  hindrance  rather  than  a 
help  to  their  promotion."  ^ 


^G.  B.  Stevens,  "The  Teaching  of  Jesus,"  p.  54. 
107 


[VI]         CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

The  position  of  Jesus  is  clearly  one  of  fearless  independence 
whenever  he  considers  that  the  welfare  of  man  is  jeopardized 
by  conventional  rules  in  regard  to  the  observance  of  the  day. 
This  Independence  brings  him  into  sharpest  clash  with  the 
religious  leaders  of  his  nation. 

Observance  of  the  Sabbath  was  reduced  to  an  absurdity. 

"The  point  at  which  the  rabbi  was  most  sensitive  was  Sab- 
bath observance.  He  had  wrought  out  the  simple  Sabbath 
law  of  the  Mosaic  legislation  into  innumerable  and  some- 
times absurd  details.  Tailors  must  not  carry  needles  on  their 
coats  late  Friday  afternoon,  lest  the  sun  should  set  before 
they  noticed  it  and  they  be  carrying  burdens  on  the  Sabbath ; 
the  physician  might  take  measures  to  prevent  a  serious  disease 
from  growing  worse  on  the  Sabbath,  but  must  not  try  to  cure 
it ;  minor  ailments  might  not  be  treated  at  all.  The  rabbis 
went  so  far  as  to  say  that  God  had  created  man  for  the  sake 
of  his  Sabbath  law." ' 

Jesus'  pungent  sense  of  reality  and  his  love  for  suffering 
men  and  women  set  him  in  the  sharpest  opposition  to  all  this 
perversion  of  righteousness  as  these  men  were  forever  dis- 
cussing it  and  stickling  on  tiny  points.  His  independence 
and  their  antipathy  can  be  seen  clearly  enough. 

And  he  entered  again  into  the  synagogue ;  and  there 
was  a  man  there  who  had  his  hand  withered.  And 
they  watched  him,  whether  he  would  heal  him  on  the 
sabbath  day;  that  they  might  accuse  him.  And  he 
saith  unto  the  man  that  had  his  hand  withered.  Stand 
forth.  And  he  saith  unto  them.  Is  it  lawful  on  the 
sabbath  day  to  do  good,  or  to  do  harm?  to  save  a  Hfe, 
or  to  kill?  But  they  held  their  peace.  And  when  he 
had  looked  round  about  on  them  with  anger,  being 
grieved  at  the  hardening  of  their  heart,  he  saith  unto 
the  man.  Stretch  forth  thy  hand.  And  he  stretched  it 
forth ;  and  his  hand  was  restored.  And  the  Pharisees 
went  out,   and  straightway  with  the  Herodians  took 


1  E.  I.  Bosworth,  "Studies  in  the  Life  of  Jesus  Christ,"  p.  34- 

io8 


CONTAGION  OF  CROWD  INFLUENCE       [VI] 

counsel   against   him,   how   they   might   destroy   him. 
— Mark  3  :  1-6. 

It  is  a  striking  fact  throughout  the  gospels  that  Jesus 
stands  consistently  on  the  side  of  Hberality  and  freedom  in 
the  matter  of  Sabbath  observance.  His  position  should  not 
be  misinterpreted  as  being  one  of  laxity  on  that  account.  He 
\vas  standing  for  a  fundamental  principle,  for  the  highest 
welfare  of  men  and  women  when  that  welfare  was  threatened 
by  a  legal  system  of  rigid  exactions.  There  may  be  puritan- 
ical ideas  and  ill  conceived  Sabbath  laws  against  which  he 
would  react  as  vehemently  to-day,  but  it  is  at  least  an  open 
question  whether  the  problem  now  confronting  his  followers 
is  not  the  threatening  of  their  highest  welfare  by  the  prev- 
alent carelessness  and  laxity.  It  is  well  to  keep  carefully 
in  mind  the  situation  he  faced  as  one  seeks  to  interpret  for 
himself  these  principles  of  Jesus,  and  so  to  observe  the  Sab- 
bath day  that  his  own  highest  welfare  and  that  of  others  is 
served.  This  principle  of  the  highest  human  welfare  as  the 
chief  guide  in  Sabbath  observance  seems  to  require  the 
values  achievable  through  worship  and  meditation,  through 
service  to  other  people,  and  through  rest  and   recreation. 

The  values  of  worship  are  high  values  to  his  men.  Wor- 
ship is  no  mere  formal  matter  of  church  attendance.  It  is  a 
vital  process.  It  brings  a  man  face  to  face  with  God  and 
the  m.eaning  of  life  for  a  season  that  he  may  discover  him- 
self anew  in  the  purpose  of  the  Kingdom. 

"There  is  another  use  of  Sunday  analogous  to  church  going, 
and  usually  a  part  of  it;  namely,  recollection  in  the  sense  of 
the  Italian  word  racogliamento,  the  re-collection  or  re-assem- 
bhng  of  the  soul.  In  every  stream  there  should  be  now  and 
then  a  pool  in  which  the  hurry  and  the  noise  ceases  and  we 
can  see  into  the  depths.  Sunday  is  the  day  to  allow  the  dust 
to  settle,  and  look  around,  to  pull  ourselves  together,  observe 
our  bearings  on  our  more  universal  relations,  note  the  varia- 
tions of  the  compass,  and  lay  out  our  course  anew.  Such  a 
periodic  reassembhng  is  necessary  to  the  integrity  and  per- 

109 


[VI]         CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

manence  of  life,  to  the  cumulative  value  of  character.  Sun- 
day is  a  renewal,  a  refreshing  of  the  primal  sources  of  our 
life.  .  .  .  Sunday  is  the  day  of  re-visiting  the  ancient  shrines, 
for  going  back  to  the  fountains  of  our  strength,"  ^ 

The  Sabbath  then  means  worship,  first  of  all,  this  "reas- 
sembling the  soul"  in  the  presence  of  God.  This  is  the  day 
of  days  for  building  integrity,  for  deepening  one's  own  spir- 
itual independence  over  against  all  crowd  contagion  and  the 
conventional  judgments  which  beset  one  through  the  week. 
This  is  the  day  above  all  others  when  reserves  of  spiritual 
strength  are  to  be  stored  and  the  high  virtue  of  preparedness 
achieved.  It  is  not  by  chance  that  Jesus  received  his  exalted 
vision  of  life  and  announced  the  program  of  Christianity 
when  "he  came  to  Nazareth,  where  he  had  been  brought  up : 
and  he  entered,  as  his  custom  was,  into  the  synagogue  on  the 
sabbath  day."    The  habit  of  worship  runs  through  it  all. 

Secondly,  the  habit  of  service  is  clefiarly  indicated  as  a  part 
of  Jesus'  way  of  ministering  to  the  highest  human  welfare  on 
the  Sabbath  day.  This  great  dominating  principle  of  his  life, 
the  superlative  joy  of  creating  joy  for  other  people,  is  to 
have  large  place  in  the  Sabbaths  of  his  men.  He  does  not 
forbid  them  to  carry  burdens  on  the  Sabbath,  but  enjoins 
them  to  carry  other  men's  burdens  and  so  fulfil  the  law  of 
joy.  If  one  reads  with  imagination  he  can  but  sense  the 
happiness  that  radiated  from  the  Capernaum  synagogue  on 
that  strange  and  memorable  Sabbath  when  a  man  with  an 
unclean  spirit  was  brought  back  to  wholesome  sanity  again; 
and  a  fevered  woman  was  restored  to  calm  in  the  cool  fresh- 
ness of  his  presence.  It  was  his  holy  love  of  human  life 
uttered  in  a  Sabbath  deed.  Service  is  the  clue  to  Sabbath 
joy.  "Is  It  lawful  on  the  sabbath  day  to  do  good,  or  to  do 
harm?  to  save  a  Hfe,  or  to  kill?"  "I  desire  mercy,  and  not 
sacrifice."    "My  Father  worketh  even  until  now,  and  I  work." 

Thirdly,  the  broad  principle  of  Jesus,  safe-guarding  the  well- 
being  of  man,  expressed  in  "the  sabbath  was  made  for  man. 


1  Joseph  Lee,  "Sunday  Play,"  Mind  and  Body:  April,  1911,  pp.  77-8i. 
IIO 


CONTAGION  OF  CROWD  INFLUENCE       [VI] 

and  not  man  for  the  sabbath,"  indicates  his  accordance  with 
the  immemorial  use  of  the  day  as  one  of  rest  and  refreshing. 
The  day  is  to  be  a  day  of  cessation  from  ordinary  labor. 
Rest  does  not  require  cessation  from  activity.  But  it  does 
mean  release  from  monotony  and  grinding  toil,  freedom  to 
escape  the  narrow  round,  to  breathe  deep  in  God's  good  out 
of  doors,  to  let  both  body  and  mind  range  freely  over  the 
hills  and  valleys  of  life  with  something  of  sweet  abandon. 
He  who  so  loved  the  waving  grain  and  wells  of  living  water, 
the  lilies  by  the  upland  paths  and  deep  recesses  of  the  silent 
woods,  spent  many  a  Sabbath  afternoon,  as  he  would  have 
his  men  pass  them,  in  fellowship  with  nature.  More  than 
once  at  sunrise  or  its  setting  he  stood,  alone,  in  silent  wor- 
ship upon  a  Httle  hill  over  against  the  sky.  He  who  was  the 
incomparable  friend,  stole  away  often  with  one  or  two,  as  he 
would  have  his  men  do,  for  times  of  deeper  understanding. 
He  who  built  his  whole  interpretation  of  the  universe  upon 
the  intimacies  of  family  life,  and  cherished  her  who  bore  him 
with  chivalric  love  unto  his  final  agony — how  often  must  he 
have  disappeared  to  be  again  with  her  "in  Nazareth  where  he 
had  been  brought  up."  And  there  was  a  house  in  Bethany 
whither  he  went  forth  out  of  the  city  to  lodge  at  night 
throughout  the  passion  week — a  house  in  which  he  was  at 
home.  He  who  was  ever  thrilled  h%  the  pure  spirit  of  play 
in  the  hearts  of  children  must  often  have  fared  forth  with 
them  on  Sabbath  afternoons  in  joyous  company  through  the 
fields  of  GaHlee. 

True  recreation  is  part  of  the  Sabbath  joy.  Wherever  the 
mood  of  worship  and  the  mood  of  service  are.  there  the 
mood  of  recreation  is  not  likely  to  lead  away  from  the  dis- 
tinctive quality  of  the  da3^  There  surely  is  nothing  in  the 
principles  of  Jesus  barring  out  vigorous  physical  exercise. 
There  is  no  justification  in  the  teaching  of  Jesus  for  the 
conception  of  rigid  solemnity  and  inactivity  held  by  many 
even  in  a  day  when  the  conception  of  many  more  has  shifted 
to  that  of  making  Sunday  only  a  holiday  with  no  vestige  of 
worship  or  service  left  in  it.     Participation  in  some  form  of 

III 


[VI-i]      CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

rigorous  exercise  may  be  the  precise  thing  needed  for  the 
well  being  of  many  men  and  women  confined  within  doors  at 
mechanical  pursuits  throughout  the  week.  Wholesome  recrea- 
tion clearly  has  its  place  in  Jesus'  conception  of  the  Sabbath 
day,  but  it  will  not  be  frivolous  or  boisterous  play.  It  will 
not  have  an  undue  share  of  the  day.  It  will  be  at  one  in  spirit 
with  worship  and  the  service  of  human  need.    . 

Jesus'  mood  of  Sabbath  observance,  therefore,  is  a  free 
mood.  He  would  not  bind  his  men  by  rules.  It  is  the  day 
of  the  spirit  of  man.  They  are  to  catch  his  spirit.  They 
are  to  seek  their  highest  human  welfare  and  that  of  all  men 
in  this  best  day  of  all  the  week.  Worship,  service,  rest,  and 
refreshment,  these  are  the  clues  by  which  all  those  who  enter 
in  shall  find  it  good  and  make  every  Sabbath  memorable  as 
a  day  of  special  joy.  These  are  the  ways  in  which  reserves 
of  integrity  and  preparedness  are  to  be  stored  up  against  the 
unexpected  hour  of  crowd  contagion. 


Daily  Readings 

I.     "He's  got  the  crowd' with  him,   all  right."     Popularity 
brings  hard  tests  to  any  man.    Dare  I  go  against  the  crowd? 

And  Simon  and  they  that  were  with  him  followed 
after  him ;  and  they  found  him,  and  say  unto  him,  All 
are  seeking  thee.  And  he  saith  unto  them,  Let  us  go 
elsewhere  into  the  next  towns,  that  I  may  preach 
there  also;  for  to  this  end  came  I  forth. — Mark 
1 :  36-38. 

Think  of  Jesus'  attitude  in  this  crisis.  Fame  and  popularity 
waited  for  him.  His  chosen  men  called  him.  The  crowd 
would  be  with  him.  But  as  he  turns  his  back  on  them  all 
he  seems  to  see  a  vaster  company  rising  up  from  among  all 
peoples,  calling  him  for  to-day  to  lonely  preaching  in  the  little 
synagogues  of  Galilee. 

112 


CONTAGION  OF  CROWD  INFLUENCE    [VI-2] 

2.  Thousands  of  companies  are  writing  insurance  to-day 
against  sickness,  accidents,  tornadoes,  fire,  storms  at  sea,  and 
many  other  contingencies.     But  nobody  insures  against  loss 

of  morals.    A  man  has  to  carry  his  own  risks  on  that. 

• 

Let  3^dur  loins  be  girded  about,  and  your  lamps 
burning ;  and  be  ye  yourselves  like  unto  men  looking 
for  their  lord,  when  he  shall  return  from  the  marriage 
feast;  that,  when  he  cometh  and  knocketh,  they  may 
straightway  open  unto  him.  Blessed  are  those  serv- 
ants, whom  the  lord  when  he  cometh  shall  find  watch- 
ing :  verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  he  shall  gird  himself, 
and  make  them  sit  down  to  meat,  and  shall  come  and 
serve  them.  And  if  he  shall  come  in  the  second 
watch,  and  if  in  the  third,  and  find  them  so,  blessed 
are  those  servants.  But  know  this,  that  if  the  master 
of  the  house  had  known  in  what  hour  the  thief  was 
coming,  he  would  have  watched,  and  not  have  left  his 
house  to  be  broken  through.  Be  ye  also  ready:  for 
in  an  hour  that  ye  think  not  the  Son  of  man  cometh. 
— Luke  12 :  35-40. 

3.  Many  college  men  are  careless  in  their  confidences, 
sometimes  making  known  to  those  who  are  mere  strangers 
the  inner  secrets  of  life.  Not  so  with  Jesus !  So  sacred  is 
the  inner  fastness  of  a  man's  life  that  prayer  and  service 
alike  must  be  guarded  from  publicity.  Only  in  secret  can 
independence  and  integrity  come  to  full  strength. 

And  when  ye  pray,  ye  shall  not  be  as  the  hypocrites : 
for  they  love  to  stand  and  pray  in  the  synagogues  and 
in  the  corners  of  the  streets,  that  they  may  be  seen  of 
men.  Verily  I  say  unto  you.  They  have  received  their 
reward.  But  thou,  when  thou  praj^est,  enter  into  thine 
inner  chamber,  and  having  shut  thy  door,  pray  to  thy 
Father  who  is  in  secret,  and  thy  Father  who  seeth  in 
secret  shall  recompense  thee. — Matt.  6:5,  6. 

4.  Not  by  a  crowd,  but  by  one  girl,  this  man's  integrity 
was  put  to  flight! 

113 


[VI-5]     CHRISTIANITY   AND   AMUSEMENTS 

And  as  Peter  was  beneath  in  the  court,  there 
Cometh  one  of  the  maids  of  the  high  priest ;  and 
seeing  Peter  warming  himself,  she  looked  upon  him, 
and  saith,  Thou  also  wast  with  the  Nazarene,  even 
Jesus.  But  he  denied,  saying,  I  neither  know,  nor  • 
understand  what  thou  sayest :  and  he  went  out  into 
the  porch ;  and  the  cock  crew.  And  the  maid  saw 
him,  and  began  again  to  say  to  them  that  stood  by, 
This  is  one  of  them.  But  he  again  denied  it.  And 
after  a  little  while  again  they  that  stood  by  said  to 
Peter,  Of  a  truth  thou  art  one  of  them;  for  thou 
art  a  Galilaean.  But  he  began  to  curse,  and  to  swear, 
I  know  not  this  man  of  whom  ye  speak.  And 
straightway  the  second  time  the  cock  crew.  And 
Peter  called  to  mind  the  word,  how  that  Jesus  said 
unto  him,  Before  the  cock  crow  twice,  thou  shalt 
deny  me  thrice.  And  when  he  thought  thereon,  he 
wept. — Mark  14 :  66-72. 

5.  Do  you  look  for  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  man  in 
clouds  and  glory,  or  does  he  come  daily  into  every  group 
of  men  and  women,  dividing  them  asunder  on  the  basis  of 
the  choices  they  have  made  and  wrought  into  character? 
What  crises  of  life  could  I  meet,  to-day  without  loss  of  faith 
or  poise  of  spirit? 

And  they  knew  not  until  the  flood  came,  and  took 
them  all  .away ;  so  shall  be  the  coming  of  the  Son  of 
man.  Then  shall  two  men  be  in  the  field ;  one  is 
taken,  and  one  is  left :  two  women  shall  be  grinding 
at  the  mill ;  one  is  taken,  and  one  is  left.  Watch 
therefore :  for  ye  know  not  on  what  day  your  Lord 
Cometh.  But  know  this,  that  if  the  master  of  the 
house  had  known  in  what  watch  the  thief  was  coming, 
he  would  have  watched,  and  would  not  have  suffered 
his  house  to  be  broken  through.  Therefore  be  ye 
also  ready;  for  in  an  hour  that  ye  think  not  the  Son 
of  man  cometh.  Who  then  is  the  faithful  and  wise 
servant,  whom  his  lord  hath  set  over  his  household, 
to  give  them  their  food  in  due  season?  Blessed  is 
that   servant,   whom  his  lord   when  he  cometh   shall 

114 


CONTAGION  OF  CROWD  INFLUENCE    [VI-6] 

find  so  doing.    Verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  he  will  set 
him  over  all  that  he  hath. — Matt.  24 :  39-47. 

6.  Paul  seems  to  have  had  experience  with  a  weak-kneed 
lot  of  Christians.  Have  I  ever  once  had  the  courage  to  fight 
out  a  moral  issue  as  he  fought  out  this  one? 

Alexander  the  coppersmith  did  me  much  evil :  the 
Lord  will  render  to  him  according  to  his  works :  of 
whom  do  thou  also  beware ;  for  he  greatly  withstood 
our  words.  At  my  first  defence  no  one  took  my  part, 
but  all  forsook  me :  may  it  not  be  laid  to  their  account. 
But  the  Lord  stood  by  me,  and  strengthened  me ; 
that  through  me  the  message  might  be  fully  pro- 
claimed, and  that  all  the  Gentiles  might  hear :  and  I 
was  delivered  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  lion.  The  Lord 
will  deliver  me  from  every  evil  work,  and  will  save 
me  unto  his  heavenly  kingdom :  to  whom  be  the  glory 
for  ever  and  ever.     Amen. — II  Tim.  4 :  14-18. 

7.  As  one  ponders  the  way  in  which  ceremonialism  has 
ever  cumbered  rehgion,  blighting  its  spontaneity,  he  is  thank- 
ful that  Jesus  sided  with  all  the  prophets  who  have  pleaded 
for  mercy  and  justice  above  all  else. 

At  that  season  Jesus  went  on  the  sabbath  day 
through  the  grainfields ;  and  his  disciples  were  hungry 
and  began  to  pluck  ears  and  to  eat.  But  the  Phari- 
sees, when  they  saw  it,  said  unto  him.  Behold,  thy 
disciples  do  that  which  it  is  not  lawful  to  do  upon 
the  sabbath.  But  he  said  unto  them.  Have  ye  not  read 
what  David  did,  when  he  was  hungry,  and  they  that 
were  with  him ;  how  he  entered  into  the  house  of  God, 
and  ate  the  showbread,  which  it  was  not  lawful  for 
him  to  eat,  neither  for  them  that  were  with  him,  but 
only  for  the  priests  ?  Or  have  ye  not  read  in  the  law, 
that  on  the  sabbath  day  the  priests  in  the  temple 
profane  the  sabbath,  and  are  guiltless?  But  I  say 
unto  you,  that  one  greater  than  the  temple  is  here. 
But  if  ye  had  known  what  this  meaneth,  I  desire 
mercy,    and   not   sacrifice,    ye   would   not   have   con- 

115 


[VI-s]      CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

demned  the  guiltless.    For  the  Son  of  man  is  lord  of 
the  sabbath. — Matt.   12:1-8. 

Suggestions  for  Thought  and  Discussion 

What  are  the  moral  characteristics  of  a  crowd? 

What  happens  to  the  individual  who  becomes  a  part  of  a 
crowd? 

What  are   the  chief  moral  dangers  involved  in  crowd  con- 
tagion f 

What  are  the  similarities  between  crowd  consciousness  and 
intoxication  ? 

Why  are  all  amusement  temptations  particularly  dangerous 
in  a  crowd? 

By  what  tricks  do  commercial  amusement  promoters  work 
up  the  carnival  spirit? 

In  what  ways  do  these  manifest  themselves  after  the  big 
athletic  events  in  college  life?  At  amusement  parks?  In 
special  events?    On  Sundays? 

What  are  the  differences  between  Sunday  amusement  and 
Sunday  recreation? 

In  what  ways  have  Sunday  amusements  affected  the  reli- 
gious life  of  the  nation? 

Why    must    the    Christian    be    especially    alert   in    respect    to 
crowd  contagion? 

To  what  degree  are  Christian  independence  and  inwardness 
of  life  synonymous  with  loneliness? 

What  is  the  chief  principle  of  Jesus  in  regard  to  Sunday? 

In  what  ways  did  Jesus  leave  to  the  individual  conscience 
of  his  followers  the  question  of   Sabbath  observance? 

What  significance  should  be  attached  to  the  fact  that  Jesus' 
utterances  in  regard  to  Sabbath  observance  are  on  the  side 
of  liberality? 

What  special  safeguards  against  crowd  contagion  can  be 
provided  iDy  the  Christian  uses  of  Sunday? 

116 


CONTAGION  OF  CROWD  INFLUENCE     [VI-s] 

What  is  a  Christian  man's  attitude  tozuard  crowd  contagion f 

How  can  a  man  make  sure  of  doing  right  in  spite  of  the 
crowd  ? 

What  attractive  quahties  of  character  come  out  in  opposing 
crowd  contagion? 

Is  it  immoral  to  allow  yourself  to  be  swept  off  j^our  feet 
by  the  crowd  contagion  following  an  athletic  victory,  or 
in  the  throng  on  a  city  street  on  election  night? 

By  what  means  can  crowd  enthusiasm  after  a  college  victory 
be  diverted  from  drinking  and  immorality  to  the  service  of 
college  loyalty? 

Can  a  Christian  man  have  a  good  time  at  a  commercialized 
amusement  resort? 

What  sources  of  happiness  are  especially  accessible  on  Sun- 
day to  those  who  hold  the  Christian  ideal? 


117 


CHAPTER   VII 

CHRISTIANITY  AND  THE  PUBLIC 
PROBLEM 

The  Christian  Awakening 

Is  it  enough  for  Christianity  to  guide  the  attitudes  and 
participations  of  individuals,  or  has  it  still  a  further  task 
before  it?  Suppose  it  were  able  to  lift  the  personal  amuse- 
ment choices  of  millions  to  highly  moral  levels,  would  it  have 
done  the  whole  of  its  duty?  Could  it  then  safely  ignore  the 
public  situation  and  leave  other  millions,  including  a  multitude 
of  the  young,  with  their  unformed  judgments  and  inex- 
perience, as  easy  prey  for  exploiters?  This,  in  a  sense,  is 
what  organized  Christianity  has  done,  and  the  evils  of  the 
present  situation  are  in  no  small  measure  the  result.  Christi- 
anity has  been  and  is  a  profound  ministry  to  individuals — 
on  that  we  are  now  agreed — but  is  that  a  reason  why  it 
should  not  be  effectively  social  also?  Does  Christianity  really 
buttress  and  support  effective  social  action?  We  have  seen 
the  need  of  a  public  awakening  to  all  the  facts  of  the  problem ; 
to  the  evils  of  professionalism,  commercialism,  and  immorality. 
We  must  now  find  what  power  Christianity  has  both  to  stir 
public  opinion  and  to  keep  the  public  conscience  steadily 
energized  to  do  its  duty.  Is  the  widespread  lethargy  and 
inertia  in  relation  to  this  and  other  social  problems  a  result 
of  Christian  teaching  or  a  denial  of  it?  Is  the  comparative 
ignorance  of  these  matters  on  the  part  of  many  Christian 
men  and  women  a  virtue  or  a  sin?  How  far  can  Christianity 
be  relied  on  to  solve  the  public  problem  ? 

Jesus  Holds  to  Revolutionizing  Ideals  of  Society 

We  have  but  to  turn  to  the  teaching  of  Jesus  to  find  that 
ii8 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  THE  PROBLEM      [VII] 

he  is  never  satisfied  with  things  as  they  are.  Over  against 
the  social  conditions  or  the  conventional  standards  of  any 
age  or  nation  his  ideal  principles  stand  in  clear  contrast. 
He  rebelled  against  the  accepted  standards  of  his  own  age 
and  people.  The  framework  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount 
is  a  charter  of  revolution.  Again  and  again  he  reiterates 
the  words,  "Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said  by  them  of  old 
time  .  .  .  but  I  say  unto  you."  Over  against  the  formalized 
ethics  of  his  nation  he  sets  his  own  great  principles  of  life, 
just  as  he  sets  them  over  against  the  negative  prohibitions 
of  ecclesiastical  bodies  in  regard  to  amusements  to-day.  Al- 
ways, now  as  then,  Jesus  stands  for  positive  principles  rather 
than  negative  rules.  In  no  destructive  spirit,  but  ever  seek- 
ing to  "fulfil,"  he  attacked  the  law  as  insufficient,  the  scribes 
and  Pharisees  as  content  with  half  truth  which  had  become 
untruth,  and  the  temple  ceremonies  as  polluted  by  those  that 
bought  and  sold.  His  eager  desire  was  to  see  things  always 
growing  better,  and  still  better. 

Walter  Rauschenbusch  has  well  said : 

"There  was  a  revolutionary  consciousness  in  Jesus,  not, 
of  course,  in  the  common  use  of  the  word  'revolutionary,' 
which  connects  it  with  violence  and  bloodshed.  But  Jesus 
knew  that  he  had  come  to  kindle  a  fire  on  earth.  Much  as  he 
loved  peace  he  knew  that  the  actual  result  of  his  work  would 
be  not  peace  but  the  sword.  .  .  .  This  revolutionary  note 
runs  even  through  the  beatitudes  where  we  should  least  ex- 
pect it.  The  point  of  them  is  that  henceforth  those  were  to 
be  blessed  whom  the  world  had  not  blessed,  for  the  kingdom 
of  God  would  reverse  their  relative  standing  .  .  .  Jesus  was 
not  a  child  of  this  world.  He  did  not  revere  the  men  it  called 
great;  he  did  not  accept  its  customs  and  social  usages  as 
final;  his  moral  conceptions  did  not  run  along  the  groove 
marked  out  by  it.  .  .  .  It  is  an  essential  doctrine  of  Christi- 
anity that  the  world  is  fundamentally  good  and  practically 
bad,  for  it  was  made  by  God,  but  is  now  controlled  by  sin. 
\i  a  man  wants  to  be  a  Christian,  he  must  stand  over  against 
things  as  they  are  and  condemn  them  in  the  name  of  that 
higher  conception  of  life  which  Jesus  revealed.     If  a  man  is 

119 


[VII]        CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

satisfied   with   things   as   they   are,   he   belongs   on   the   other 
side."  ^ 

How  significant  it  is  that  Jesus  did  not  accept  the  customs 
and  usages  of  his  times  as  final,  that  his  life  and  teachings 
abound  with  such  incidents  as  the  rebuking  of  Simon  the 
Pharisee,  his  host;  the  parable  of  the  man  advised  to  take 
the  lower  seat;  the  cleansing  of  the  temple,  and  the  washing 
of  the  disciples'  feet.  These,  and  many  other  incidents,  reveal 
both  his  free  participation  in  social  life  and  his  independence 
in  regard  to  established  usages.  Do  they  not  give  us  full 
warrant  for  believing  that  we  may  find  his  principles  revolu- 
tionary in  respect  to  the  amusement  situation  of  to-day,  pro- 
fessionalized, commercialized,  and  tainted  with  immorality,  as 
we  have  discovered  it  to  be? 

Jesus  Relies  Upon  Individuals 

Secondly,  Jesus  relies  on  individuals  to  effect  the  re- 
organization of  social  life.  In  this  he  discovered  a  dis- 
tinctive method  for  the  achievement  of  social  control.  He 
rejected  Oriental  methods  such  as  physical  force  and  the 
power  of  pomp.  He  rejected  the  Roman  methods — armies 
and  organized  government.  He  rejected  the  method  of 
Moses — a  system  of  laws.  He  rejected  the  method  of  the 
Greek  philosophers — a  formal  system  of  thought.  Jesus  works 
always  through  individuals.  The  person  is  his  unit  of  action. 
The  power  of  personality  is  to  him  like  yeast  in  meal  or 
light  radiating  from  a  central  flame.  His  best  effort  went, 
therefore,  to  imparting  truth  to  a  few  disciples,  to  the  illu- 
mination of  a  few  personalities.  A  more  daring  method  could 
hardly  be  conceived — no  army,  no  seat  of  government,  no 
laws,  no  books,  no  publicity — nothing  but  the  pure  power  of 
the  truth  in  love  injected  straight  into  the  lives  of  his  fol- 
lowers to  be  radiated  through  the  social  organism,  age-long 
and  world-wide. 


1  Walter  Rauschenbusch,  "Christianity  and  the  Social  Crisis,"  p.  90. 
120 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  THE  PROBLEM      [VII] 

Jesus  does  not  put  his  reliance  upon  either  of  the  main 
forms  of  action  used  by  others  in  efforts  to  solve  the  amuse- 
ment problem.  He  himself  does  not  rely  upon  restrictive 
legislation,  though  doubtless  he  expected  his  followers  to  use 
it.  Nor  does  he  rely  on  organization.  "In  short,  instead  of 
regeneration  by  organization,  Jesus  offers  regeneration  by 
inspiration.  He  was  not  primarily  the  deviser  of  a  social 
system,  but  the  quickener  of  single  lives.  His  gift  is  not 
that  of  form,  but  that  of  life."  ^ 

Doubtless  he  expected  his  followers  to  make  use  of  organ- 
ization and  group  action,  but  he  lays  upon  the  individual  far 
more  responsibility  than  membership  in  any  organization 
involves— the  full  responsibility  for  the  utmost  use  of  his 
own  life-multiplying  power.  The  quality  of  a  Christian's  pur- 
pose must  therefore  be  constantly  purified  to  Jesus'  ideal 
lest  that  which  .he  communicates  to  others  be  evil  rather 
than  good. 

"Jesus,"  says  Rauschenbusch,  "worked  on  individuals  and 
through  individuals,  but  his  real  end  was  not  individualistic, 
but  social,  and  in  his  method  he  employed  strong  social 
forces.  He  knew  that  a  new  view  of  life  would  have  to  be 
implanted  before  the  new  life  could  be  lived,  and  that  the 
new  society  would  have  to  nucleate  around  personal  centers 
of  renewal.  But  his  end  was  not  the  new  soul,  but  the  new 
society ;  not  man,  but  Man." " 

If  the  teaching  of  Jesus  reveals  such  a  method  and  idea-l 
as  this,  may  we  not  justly  hope  for  solutions  of  this  highly 
personal  problem,  born  within  the  hearts  and  consciences 
of  Christian  men  and  women — for  fundamental  solutions  able 
to  obliterate  the  evils  which  have  fastened  themselves  upon 
so  many  forms  of  play?  Courageous,  right-thinking  indi- 
viduals, devoted  to  the  highest  moral  welfare  ^of  society,  are 
exactly  the  contribution  needed  here,  and  it  is  the  first  and 
fundamental  business  of  Christianity  to  produce  them.    Acting 

iP.  G.  Peabody,  "Jesus  Christ  and  the  Social  Question,"  p.  90. 

2  Walter  Rauschenbusch,  "Christianity  and  the  Social  Crisis,"  pp.  6o-6r. 


[VII]        CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

both  as  individuals  and  as  groups,  such  men  and  women 
have  long  been  leaders  in  efforts  to  transform  existing 
society  into  the  Christian  social  order,  to  achieve  on  earth 
the  Kingdom  of  God. 

Alertness  in  the  Detection  of  Evil 

Was  Jesus'  approach  to  social  transformation  that  of  a 
teacher  only,  or  did  he  himself  go  into  the  battle  for  public 
righteousness? 

How  sharp  and  clear  is  the  answer  of  his  life?  Let  his 
own  terrific  invective,  as  he  publicly  challenged  the  men  who 
wielded  authority,  reveal  the  fearlessness  of  his  public  strife. 

But  woe  unto  you  Pharisees !  for  ye  tithe  mint  and 
rue  and  every  herb,  and  pass  over  justice  and  the 
love  of  God :  but  these  ought  ye  to  have  done,  and 
not  to  leave  the  other  undone.  Woe  unto  you 
Pharisees !  for  ye  love  the  chief  seats  in  the  syna- 
gogues, and  the  salutations  in  the  marketplaces.  Woe 
unto  you !  for  ye  are  as  the  tombs  which  appear  not, 
and  the  men  that  walk  over  them  know  it  not. — Luke 
11:42-44. 

His  times  of  teaching  were  constantly  interrupted  by  the 
public  battle,  and  he  was  forced  again  and  again  to  take  his 
chosen  men  away  into  retirement.  Alert  and  wary  as  he  was, 
his  enemies  sought  in  vain  to  catch  him  in  his  talk.  Elusive 
as  he  was,  they  sought  in  vain  to  take  him.  As  long  as  he 
chose  he  held  them  at  bay.  Through  all  the  years  of  his 
public  ministry  he  revealed  the  power  of  sharply  detecting 
evil,  accurately  diagnosing  the  sources  of  injustice,  and  wag- 
ing a  relentless  war,  the  stakes  in  which  were,  on  the  one 
side  his  own  life,  and  on  the  other  side,  the  establishment 
of  the  Kingdom.  In  all  reverence  let  it  be  said  that  Jesus 
"knew  the  game"  in  the  public  fight  for  righteousness  and 
never  gave  quarter  to  evil,  though  he  prayed  forgiveness  for 
the  men  who  fought  him. 

Alertness  in  the  detection  of  evil  is  a  requisite  in  Christian 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  THE  PROBLEM      [VII] 

character — the  detection  of  public  evil  no  less  than  personal 
sin.  What  else  can  Jesus'  instruction  to  his  disciples  mean 
when  he  said  to  them,  "Behold,  1  send  you  forth  as  sheep  in 
the  midst  of  wolves :  be  ye  therefore  wise  as  serpents,  and 
harmless  as  doves."  "Beware  of  false  prophets,  who  come 
to  you  in  sheep's  clothing,  but  inwardly  are  ravening  wolves. 
By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them."  "Let  your  loins  be 
girded  about,  and  your  lamps  burning;  and  be  ye  yourselves 
like  unto  men  looking  for  their  lord.  But  know  this,  that 
if  the  master  of  the  house  had  known  in  what  hour  the  thief 
was  coming,  he  would  have  watched,  and  not  have  left  his 
house  to  be  broken  through.  Be  ye  also  ready :  for  in  an  hour 
that  ye  think  not  the  Son  of  man  cometh"  (Luke  12:  35-40). 

How  clearly,  therefore,  Jesus  ma,kes  high  demand  that 
Christian  men  and  women  be  alert  and  watchful  against 
all  these  forms  of  evil.  Yet  it  is  not  a  high  demand  of 
Jesus  alone.  It  is  an  immediate  and  practical  necessity,  for 
no  Christian  home  can  be  wholly  safeguarded  in  these  days 
from  the  common  influence  of  commercialized  amusement. 
A  stern  duty,  therefore,  faces  every  Christian  man  and 
woman,  young  and  old — to  meet  the  need  -for  more  Christian 
detectives,  more  fearless  and  sharp-eyed  thinkers  among 
Christians,  men  and  women  who  can  detect  the  cloven  hoof 
or  the  forked  tail  at  a  glance  and  brand  every  vicious  allure- 
ment in  commercial  amusement  for  what  it  is. 

This  is  no  easy  task.  Professor  Ross  has  made  the  nature 
of  it  clear  in  "Sin  and  Society,"  where  he  says:  "The  sinful 
heart  is  ever  the  same,  but  sin  changes  its  quality  as  society 
develops.  Modern  sin  takes  its  character  from  the  mutualism 
of  our  time.  Under  our  present  manner  of  living,  how  many 
of  my  vital  interests  I  must  entrust  to  others !  Nowadays 
the  ^vater  main  is  my  well,  the  trolley  car  my  carriage,  the 
banker's  safe  my  old  stocking,  the  policeman's  billy  my  fist. 
.  .  .  But  this  spread-out  manner  of  life  lays  snares  for  the 
weak  and  opens  doors  to  the  wicked.  Interdependence  puts 
us  as  it  were  at  one  another's  mercy  and  so  ushers  in  a 
multitude   of   new   forms   of   wrong  doing.     The  practice  of 

123 


[VII]        CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

mutualism  has  always  worked  this  way.  Most  sin  is  preying 
and  every  new  social  relation  begets  its  cannibalism.  .  .  .  But 
the  tropical  belt  of  sin  we  are  sweeping  into  is  largely  im- 
personal. Our  iniquity  is  wireless,  and  we  know  not  whose 
withers  are  wrung  by  it.  The  hurt  passes  into  that  vague 
mass,  the  'public,'  and  is  lost  to  view.  .  .  .  The  public  being 
leaden  of  imagination  is  moved  only  by  the  concrete.  It 
heeds  the  crass  physical  act,  but  overlooks  the  subtle  in- 
iquities that  pulse  along  those  viewless  filaments  of  inter- 
relation that  bind  us  together.  ...  As  society  grows  complex 
it  can  be  harmed  in  more  ways.  Once  there  were  no  wrongs 
against  the  whole  community  save  treason  and  sacrilege,  .  .  . 
Now,  however,  there  are  scores  of  ways  in  which  the  common 
weal  may  take  hurt,  and  every  year  finds  society  more  vulner- 
able. Each  advance  to  higher  organization  runs  us  into  a 
fresh  zone  of  danger,  so  there  is  more  than  ever  need  to  be 
quick  to  detect  and  foil  the  new  public  enemies  that  present 
themselves.  .  .  .  Upon  the  practicers  of  new  sins  there  is  no 
longer  a  curb  unless  it  be  public  censure.  So  the  question  of 
the  hour  is,  Can  there  be  fashioned  oiit  of  popular  sentiment 
some  sort  of  buckler  for  society?  Can  our  loathing  of  rascals 
be  wrought  up  into  a  kind  of  unembodied  government,  able  to 
restrain  the  men  that  derisively  snap  their  fingers  at  the 
agents  of  the  law?  .  .  .  The  supreme  task  of  the  hour  is  to 
get  together  and  build  a  rampart  of  moral  standard,  statute, 
inspection,  and  publicity,  to  check  the  onslaught  of  internal 
enemies."  ^ 

It  is  obvious  that  the  task  of  effective  alertness  in  the 
detection  of  evil  in  amusements  is  a  task  of  far-reaching 
difficulty,  and  involves  the  branding  of  new  forms  of  sin, 
new  devices  of  exploitation  and  insidious  old  evils  freshly 
rouged  with  a  beauty  not  their  own.  It  involves  accurate 
thinking  about  influences  which  pass  into  "that  vague  mass, 
the  'public,' "  and  do  not  emerge  until  long  afterward  or 
far  away  in  the  records  of  divorce  courts,  the  broken  health 


E.  A.  Ross,  "Sin  and  Society,"  pp.  3-4,  11-12,  34,  36-37.  75..  90. 
124 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  THE  PROBLEM      [VII] 

of  men  who  once  gloried  in  their  strength,  and  the  multi- 
tudinous record  of  crimes  the  first  motives  of  which  are 
beyond  the  power  of  any  jury  to  unravel.  Not  until  Christian 
men  and  women  fulfd  this  high  demand  of  Jesus  to  think 
out  the  "subtle  iniquities  that  pulse  along  those  viewless 
filaments  of  interrelation,"  will  Christianity  make  its  full 
contribution  to  building  the  "rampart  of  moral  standard"  in 
this  supreme  task  of  the  hour. 

To  nothing  but  the  shameful  lethargy  of  Christian  men 
and  women  is  attributable  the  following  statement  from  a 
public  commission  in  a  great  American  city  upon  the  com- 
pletion of  a  vice  investigation.  The  Committee  recommends 
as  most  important,  "A  radical  change  in  the  amusements  we 
tolerate,  in  public  opinion,  in  our  treatment  of  sex  problems, 
in  our  economic  system,  in  the  attitude  of  the  church,  and  in 
the  teaching  and  influence  of  the  home  itself." 

How  can  any  Christian  man  doubt  the  validity  for  his  own 
life  of  that  which  is  both  a  practical  necessity  and  an  exalted 
principle  of  Jesus — alertness  in  the  detection  of  evil?  What 
social  task  in  America  to-day  is  a  sharper  challenge  to  Chris- 
tianity than  the  quickening  of  the  public  conscience  on  this 
highly  personal  social  problem?  It  is  one  thing  for  public 
opinion  to  be  stirred ;  it  is  another  thing  for  it  to  be  expressed 
in  effective  action.  The  one  is  quick  and  easy,  the  other  is^ 
slow  and  hard.  What  sort  of  public  action  does  Christianity 
support?  Does  it  support  restrictive  action,  constructive 
action,  or  both? 

Christianity  supports  and  energizes  restrictive  action  in 
the  principle  of 

Exposure  and  Opposition  to  those*zvho  trip  up  others 

Implied  in  what  has  been  written  of  Jesus'  demand  for 
alertness  in  detecting  evil  is  the  coordinate  duty  of  opposing 
evil.  This  is  the  war  for  which  his  sword  is  drawn.  This 
is  the  Holy  War,  the  only  war  for  which  Christian  men  and 
women  are  enlisted,  and  the  term  of  service  is  for  life. 

125 


[VII]        CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

Typical  of  Jesus'  fearlessness  in  opposing  those  who  trip 
up  others  is  his  cleansing  of  the  temple. 

And  they  come  to  Jerusalem :  and  he  entered  into 
the  temple,  and  began  to  cast  out  them  that  sold  and 
them  that  bought  in  the  temple,  and  overthrew  the 
tables  of  the  moneychangers,  and  the  seats  of  them 
that  sold  the  doves ;  and  he  would  not  suffer  that  any 
man  should  carry  a  vessel  through  the  temple. — Mark 
II  :  IS,  i6. 

Of  how  many  modern  cities,  in  which  are  thousands  of  his 
professed  followers  who  are  "at  ease  in  Zion"  while  a  few 
fearless  men  and  women  bear  the  brunt  of  attacking  en- 
trenched evils,  would  he  say  as  of  old : 

Woe  unto  thee,  Chorazin !  woe  unto  thee,  Beth- 
saida !  for  if  the  mighty  works  had  been  done  in 
Tyre  and  Sidon  which  were  done  in  you,  they  would 
have  repented  long  ago  in  sackcloth  and  ashes. — Matt. 
II  :  21. 

Through  all  his  years  of  battle  there  breathes  no  personal 
hatred  for  the  men  whom  he  opposed,  but  rather  an  over- 
whelming sense  of  the  enormity  of  their  crime  who  exploit 
and  degrade  human  life.  His  sense  of  the  sacredness  of 
life  breathes  through  all  his  hatred  of  its  exploitation.  It  is 
this  which  speaks  in  his  terrible  figure,  "Whosoever  shall 
offend  one  of  these  my  little  ones,  even  these  least,  it  were 
better  for  him  that  a  millstone  were  hanged  about  his  neck 
and  that  he  were  drowned  in  the  depth  of  the  sea."  Clearly 
Jesus  used  and  supports  all  sound  restrictive  action,  for 
without  it  the  very  forces  of  evil  which  he  so  vigorously 
opposed  have  right  of  way  to  work  their  will. 

Service:  The  Creation  of  Joy  for  Other  People 

Christianity  also  supports  and  energizes  sound  constructive 
action   in  the  principle  of   service. 

126 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  THE  PROBLEM      [VII] 

Those  who  think  through  the  underlying  difficulties  involved 
in  the  amusement  situation  come  to  realize  that  the  active 
forces  of  evil  are  by  no  means  wholly  responsible  for  them 
all.  Many  of  them  run  away  back  to  the  barren  leisure  in 
the  lives  of  young  people,  especially  working  girls  and  boys 
and  those  who  live  in  isolation  in  the  country;  to  the  arbi- 
trary dictation  or  neglect  of  many  well  meaning  parents, 
who  fail  to  provide  sympathetic  counsel,  suitable  places,  and 
fit  recreations  for  their  sons  and  daughters ;  to  the  ignorance 
of  basic  facts  which  is  the  condition  of  vast  numbers  who 
are  flung,  in  their  early  teens,  into  the  turmoil  of  city 
life;  to  the  dependence  of  girls  upon  their  men  acquaintances 
for  many  forms  of  amusement;  and  to  the  failure  of  home 
and  school,  church  and  community  to  provide  such  a  positive 
and  attractive  program  of  recreation  as  will  bring  all  young 
people  to  that  leading  out  of  personality  which  true  recreation 
provides. 

Over  against  all  such  difficulties  as  these  the  fundamental 
need  is  constructive  action;  a  wider  and  deeper  and  wiser 
service  in  the  full  creation  of  happiness  and  joy  in  the  lives 
of  all  the  people — this,  with  all  that  it  involves  in  personal 
transformation,  in  public  education  and  social  reconstruction, 
is  our  superlative  task. 

A  host  of  active  efforts  are  already  put  forth  in  the  mood 
of  such  constructive  action.  A'latched  to  every  phase  of 
the  problem  are  movements  and  institutions  which  are  rightly 
viewed  as  contributing  to  the  constructive  use  of  leisure  time, 
the  substitution  of  good  for  evil  influences,  the  wise  and 
sympathetic  guidance  of  personal  choices  on  high  levels  and 
in  the  provision  of  wholesome  recreation  amid  morally  clean 
associations  which  make  for  the  true  expression  of  the 
normal  impulses  in  spontaneous  happiness.  All  sound  con- 
structive effort  has  the  full  support  of  the  Christian  teaching 
in  its  basic  principle  of  service,  for  surel}^  these  are  human 
needs  and  the  business  of  Christianity  is  the  service  of 
human  need. 

The  principle  of  Service  permeates  the  New  Testament 
127 


IVII]       CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

through  and  through.  It  dominates  the  life  of  Jesus  from 
beginning  to  end,  calling  him  on  from  village  to  village, 
teaching,  preaching,  and  healing  all  manner  of  diseases. 
Nothing  else  had  a  right  to  precedence  in  his  life  above  the 
service  of  human  need.  All  such  highly  personal  needs  as 
these  of  which  we  are  thinking  made  an  especially  sharp  and 
deep  appeal  to  Jesus  as,  "When  he  saw  the  multitude  he  was 
moved  with  compassion  for  them,  because  they  were^  dis- 
tressed and  scattered  as  sheep  not  having  a  shepherd." 

The    constancy   of   his   yearning   over   humanity  is    voiced 
again  and  again  as  in  his  words : 

Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy 
laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest.  Take  my  yoke  upon 
you,  and  learn  of  me;  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in 
heart:  and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls.  For 
my  yoke  is  easy,  and  my  burden  is  light.— Matt. 
11:28-30. 

His  final  tests  of  men  are  tests  of  service,  and  he  leaves 
no  room  for  doubt  that  both  the  fundamental  purpose  of 
his  own  life  and  that  which  he  expects  of  his  followers  is 
the  full  communication  to  others  of  health  and  strength  and 
happiness,  both  physical  and  spiritual.  He  crowns  such 
service  with  the  superlative  joy  of  the  same  approval  as  if 
it  had  been  rendered  to  himself. 

Then  shall  the  King  say  unto  them  on  his  right 
hand,  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the 
kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation  of 
the  world:  for  I  was  hungry,  and  ye  gave  me  to 
eat;  I  was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  drink;  I  was  a 
stranger,  and  ye  took  me  in;  naked,  and  ye  clothed 
me;  I  was  sick,  and  ye  visited  me;  I  was  in  prison, 
and  ye  came  unto  me.  Then  shall  the  righteous 
answer  him,  saying,  Lord,  when  saw  we  thee  hungry, 
and  fed  thee?  or  athirst,  and  gave  thee  drink?  And 
when  saw  we  thee  a  stranger,  and  took  thee  in? 
or  naked,  and  clothed  thee?  And  when  saw  we  thee 
128 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  THE  PROBLEM    [VII-i] 

sick,  or  in  prison,  and  came  unto  thee?  And  the 
King  shall  answer  and  say  unto  them,  Verily,  I  say 
unto  you,  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  unto  one  of  these  my 
brethren,  even  these  least,  ye  did  it  unto  me.— Matt. 
25 :  34-40. 

Even  the  smallest  service  in  the  creation  of  joy -for  other 
people  cannot  miss  of  its  reward,  for  it  may  have  unsuspected 
significance. 

And  whosoever  shall  give  to  drink  unto  one  of 
these  little  ones  a  cup  of  cold  water  only,  in  the 
name  of  a  disciple,  verily  I  say  unto  you  he  shall  in 
no  wise  lose  his  reward. — Matt.   10:42. 

In  a  profound  sense  of  the  word  Jesus  lived  his  life  for 
the  creation  of  joy.  His  followers  are  called  to  be  creators 
of  joy  in  the  heart  of  all  mankind  through  the  love  of  him 
"whose  service  is  perfect  freedom." 


Daily  Readings 

1.  And  this  gospel  of  the  kingdom  shall  be  preached 
in  the  whole  world  for  a  testimony  unto  all  the 
nations. — Matt.  24 :  14. 

What  a  world  transforming  conception  this  has  been !  What 
supporting  forces  have  made  possible  its  present  extent? 
What  forces  are  now  required? 

2.  In  what  sense  of  the  word  can  Jesus'  ideals  be  called 
revolutionary  ? 

Think  not  that  I  came  to  destroy  the  law  or  the 
prophets:  I  came  not  to  destroy,  but  to  fulfil.  For 
verily  I  say  unto  you.  Till  heaven  and  earth  pass 
away,  one  jot  or  one  tittle  shall  in  no"  wise  pass  away 
from  the  law,  till  all  things  be  accomplished.  Whoso- 
ever therefore  shall  break  one  of  these  least  com- 
mandments, and  shall  teach  men  so,  shall  be  called 
129 


[VII-3]    CHRISTIANITY   AND   AMUSEMENTS 

least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven :  but  whosoever 
shall  do  and  teach  them,  he  shall  be  called  great  in 
the  kingdom  of  heaven.  For  I  say  unto  you,  that 
except  your  righteousness  shall  exceed  the  righteous- 
ness of  the  scribes  and  Pharisees,  ye  shall  in  no  wise 
enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven. — Matt.  5  :  17-20. 

In  what  ways  have  his  ideals  already  revolutionized  Amer- 
ican amusement  conditions? 

3.  Matched  to  Christianity's  power  to  minister  to  individuals 
is  its  reliance  upon  individuals.  Jesus  makes  the  test  as 
stiff  as  possible. 

Then  said  Jesus  unto  his  disciples,  If  any  man 
would  come  after  me,  let  him  deny  himself,  and  take 
up  his  cross,  and  follow  me.  For  whosoever  would 
save  his  life  shall  lose  it:  and  whosoever  shall  lose 
his  life  for  my  sake  shall  find  it.  For  what  shall  a 
man  be  profited,  if  he  shall  gain  the  whole  world,  and 
forfeit  his  life?  or  what  shall  a  man  give  in  exchange 
for  his  life?— Matt.  16:24-26. 

4.  Independence,  alertness,  opposition  to  those  who  exploit 
others — how  could  they  be  better  exemplified  than  here? 

And  he  said.  Woe  unto  you  lawyers  also !  for 
ye  load  men  with  burdens  grievous  to  be  borne,  and 
ye  yourselves  touch  not  the  burdens  with  one  of 
your  fingers.  Woe  unto  you !  for  ye  build  the  tombs 
of  the  prophets,  and  your  fathers  killed  them.  So  ye 
are  witnesses  and  consent  unto  the  works  of  your 
fathers :  for  they  killed  them,  and  ye  build  their 
tombs.  .  .  .  Woe  unto  you  lawyers!  for  ye  took  away 
the  key  of  knowledge :  ye  entered  not  in  yourselves, 
and  them  that  were  entering  in  ye  hindered.  And 
when  he  was  come  out  from  thence,  the  scribes  and 
the  Pharisees  began  to  press  upon  him  vehemently, 
and  to  provoke  him  to  speak  of  many  things :  laying 
wait  for  him,  to  catch  something  out  of  his  mouth. 
— Luke  1 1 :  46-54. 

130 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  THE  PROBLEM    [VII-5] 

5.  He  fleeth  because  he  is  a  hireling  and  careth  not 
for  the  sheep. — John  10 :  13. 

What  presupposition  of  all  Christian  service  is  implied  in 
these  words?    How  does  Jesus  personify  it? 

He  that  is  a  hireling,  and  not  a  shepherd,  whose 
own  the  sheep  are  not,  beholdeth  the  wolf  coming, 
and  leaveth  the  sheep,  and  fleeth,  and  the  wolf 
snatcheth  them,  and  scattereth  them :  he  fleeth  be- 
cause he  is  a  hireling,  and  careth  not  for  the  sheep. 
I  am  the  good  shepherd ;  and  I  know  mine  own,  and 
mine  own  know  me,  even  as  the  Father  knoweth  me, 
and  I  know  the  Father;  and  I  lay  down  my  life  for 
the  sheep. — ^John  10 :  12-15. 

6.  What  principle  precedes  and  supports  the  principle  of 
service  to  one's  fellowmen? 

And  one  of  the  scribes  came,  and  heard  them 
questioning  together,  and  knowing  that  he  had  an- 
swered them  well,  asked  him.  What  commandment 
is  the  first  of  all?  Jesus  answered,  The  first  is, 
Hear,  O  Israel;  The  Lord  our  God,  the  Lord  is  one: 
and  thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy 
heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind, 
and  with  all  thy  strength.  The  second  is  this.  Thou 
shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself.  There  is  none 
other  commandment  greater  than  these. — Mark  12: 
28-31. 

Is  the  second  commandment  likely  to  be  obeyed  where  the 
first  is  neglected? 

7.  What  spirit  does  Christianity  require  in  those  who  seek 
to  enter  into  the  service  of  human  need? 

And  as  he  was  going  forth  into  the  way,  there  ran 
one  to  him,  and  kneeled  to  him,  and  asked  him,  Good 
Teacher,  what  shall  I  do  that  I  may  inherit  eternal 

131 


[VII-s]    CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

life?  And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Why  callest  thou  me 
good?  none  is  good  save  one,  even  God.  Thou 
knowest  the  commandments.  Do  not  kill,  Do  not 
commit  adultery.  Do  not  steal,  Do  not  bear  false 
witness.  Do  not  defraud.  Honor  thy  father  and 
mother.  And  he  said  unto  him.  Teacher,  all  these 
things  have  I  observed  from  my  youth.  And  Jesus 
looking  upon  him  loved  him,  and  said  unto  him. 
One  thing  thou  lackest :  go,  sell  whatsoever  thou 
hast,  and  give  to  the  poor,  and  thou  shalt  have 
treasure  in  heaven:  and  come,  follow  me.  But  his 
countenance  fell  at  the  saying,  and  he  went  away 
sorrowful :  for  he  was  one  that  had  great  posses- 
sions.— Mark  lo :  17-22. 

Suggestions  for  Thought  and  Discussion 

What  is  the  relation  of  Christianity  to   the  public  problem f 

Which  is  the  more  effective  in  improving  the  amusement 
situation — wider  understanding  of  Christian  principles  or  in- 
creased public  action? 

Was  Jesus  more  fundamentally  interested  in  individuals 
than  in  society? 

What  justification  is  there  in  the  attitude  of  Jesus  for 
believing  that  Christianity  can  transform  present  conditions? 

What  is  the  relative  importance  of  individuals  and  or- 
ganizations in  improving  the  amusement  situation?  Which 
does  Jesus  emphasize? 

How  far  will  such  public  problems  as  popular  amusements 
solve  themselves  if  all  Christians  live  lives  of  private 
righteousness? 

How  far  is  the  man  who  refuses  to  be  a  Christian  detective 
a  party  to  the  evil  which  he  might  help  to  stop? 

What  are  the  difficulties  in  the  social  process  of  branding- 
new   sins   in  amusements? 

Does  opposition  to  those  w'ho  trip  up  others  make  inevitable 
a  certain  amount  of  personal  animosity  toward  them? 

Does  restrictive  or  constructive  action  have  the  larger  sup- 
port in  Jesus'  principles  and  action? 

Are  some  people  temperamentally  incapable  of  sharing  in 

132 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  THE  PROBLEM    [VII-s] 

a  fight  for  public  righteousness  and  therefore  to  be  excused? 
How  many  ways  are  there  of  sharing  in  such  a  fight? 

Is  more  demanded  of  a  Christian  than  personal  upright- 
ness and  alertness  in  opposition  to  those  who  stumble  others? 
What  responsibility  has  he  for  being  a  creator  of  other 
people's  joy? 

Is  the  bruising  of  human  life  by  the  forces  of  evil  the  final 
basis  of  appeal  for  Christian  service? 

What  amusement  evils  in  our  college  do  Christian  principles 
compel  us  to  oppose?  What  constructive  efforts  do  they 
suggest? 


133 


CHAPTER   VIII 

MAKING  PUBLIC  OPINION 
EFFECTIVE 

What  is  Already  Being  Done 

The  principles  of  Jesus  clearly  demand  on  the  part  of  his 
followers  such  a  grappling  with  the  public  problem  of  amuse- 
ments as  is  indicated  in  Alertness  in  the  Detection  of  Evil, 
Opposition  to  Those  who  Trip  up  Others,  and  Service.  How 
then  shall  the  Christian  fulfil  his  public  obligation  as  well  as 
his  private  duty  as  he  seeks  to  incorporate  in  his  life  the 
principles  of  Jesus?  What  shall  he  do  to  wield  his  utmost 
power  for  righteous  community  life? 

It  is  reassuring  to  remember  that  the  battle  is  already  on — 
that  many  Christian  men  and  women  are  working  side  by 
side  with  others  in  efforts  to  improve  conditions.  Their 
efforts  will  help  all  students  of  the  situation  as  they  seek  a 
wise  direction  of  their  energies ;  therefore  we  briefly  review 
the  chief  expressions  of  public  opinion  in  restrictive  and 
constructive  action  in  relation  to  each  main  type  of  amuse- 
ments.^ 

The  Dramatic  Group:  Restrictive  Action 

In  relation  to  dramatic  amusements,  restrictive  public  opinion 
has  placed  among  the  ordinances  of  many  cities  an  enact- 
ment prohibiting  indecent  exhibitions ;  and  many  cities  are 
extending  the  license  system  to  cover  all  forms  of  dramatic 
enterprises. 


'  For  a  fuller  discussion  of  these  restrictive  and  constructive  efforts,  see 
Part  II  of  "Popular  Amusements,"  where  full  reading  references  to  descriptive 
books  and  periodical  articles  will  be  fovmd. 

134 


MAKING  PUBLIC  OPINION  EFFECTIVE  [VIII] 

In  the  matter  of  motion  pictures,  restrictive  public  opinion 
has  found  an  effective  expression  in  the  National  Board  of 
Censorship,  Early  in  the  development  of  motion  pictures 
their  possibilities  for  evil  as  well  as  good  were  recognized, 
and  the  action  of  a  few  far-sighted  men  and  women  in 
forming  this  Board  has  had  an  effect  of  the  utmost  impor- 
tance in  safeguarding  public  morals  by  an  efficient  cooperation 
with  the  manufacturers  of  films.  Their  report  of  January  i, 
1913,  indicates  that  "during  the  past  year  at  least  ninety- 
eight  out  of  every  hundred  films  publicly  exhibited  in  America 
have  been  previously  inspected  by  the  Board."  ^ 

Perhaps  no  other  group  of  men  and  women  of  equal  size 
has  done  as  much  for  the  morals  of  recreation  in  America 
as  the  members  of  this  Board,  for  the  significance  of  motion 
pictures  in  the  national  life  of  to-day  is  difficult  to  over- 
estimate. 

Constructive  Action 

There  have  recently  appeared  spontaneous  movements  in 
several  cities  for  freer  and  finer  expressions  of  dramatic  art. 
They  are  protests  against  the  commercialization,  the  bad  taste, 
and  the  bad  morals  of  much  recent  drama.  Such  are  The 
Drama  League  of  America,  The  Drama  Society  of  Boston, 
The  Chicago  Dramatic  Society,  and  the  drama  departments 
of  women's  clubs.  A  number  of  high-class  companies  are 
fighting  the  same  battle  in  devoting  themselves  to  the  best 
drama  at  risk  of  financial  loss. 

The  Drama  League  of  America,  which  now  has  90,000 
affiliated  members,  is  a  national  organization  with  a  national 
program.  It  has  not  aimed  to  establish  a  censorship  of  the 
theater.  Its  object,  on  the  other  hand,  has  been  "to  crowd  out 
vicious  plays  by  attending  and  commending  good  plays  and 
building  up  audiences  for  them  through  study  classes,  reading 
circles  and  lectures;  to  aid  in  the  restoration  of  the  drama 


1  "Report  of  the  National  Board  of  Censorship  of  Motion  Pictures,"  Janu- 
ary I,  1913- 


[VIII]      CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

to  its  honorable  place  as  the  most  intimate,  the  most  com- 
prehensive, most  democratic  medium  for  the  self-expression 
of  the  people." 

There  is  in  America  a  wide,  spontaneous  interest  in  amateur 
dramatics  which,  although  unorganized,  is  nation-wide.  It 
expresses  itself  in  plays  presented  by  little  groups  of  drama 
lovers  in  every  type  of  community,  from  the  smallest  villages 
to  the  most  crowded  parts  of  Chicago  and  New  York.  Some- 
times acting  the  plays  of  the  great  dramatists,  sometimes 
producing  plays  of  their  own,  these  little  groups  are  centers 
of  dramatic  enthusiasm.  They  are  frequently  quite  independ- 
ent organizations  in  community  life,  but  more  often  spring 
up  as  clubs  or  societies  in  a  school,  a  settlement,  a  college, 
or  a  university.  Their  very  spontaneity,  rising  up  as  they 
do  locally,  makes  them  a  true  expression  of  the  nation's 
love  of  drama  independent  of  the  commercial  theater — a  bit 
of  fundamentally  constructive  action.  Their  acting,  whatever 
its  quality,  is  their  own  and  a  real  expression  of  their  love 
of  art.  This  means  freedom  and  democracy  in  art,  and  in 
the  end  good  art  as  well  as  sound  morality.  When  true  to 
the  amateur  spirit,  these  groups  stand  for  a  fine  correlation 
of  all  the  agencies  necessary  to  the  production  of  a  drama, 
high-minded  authors,  managers,  players,  and  audiences. 

Privately  endowed  or  municipal  theaters  are  a  further 
effort  to  improve  theatrical  conditions.  They  are  intended 
to  serve  as  institutional  centers  for  the  cultivation  and  ex- 
pression of  dramatic  art,  where  a  local  school  of  actors  and 
playwrights  may  be  developed. 

The  Social  Rendezvous  Group:  Restrictive  Action 

Here  the  license  and  inspection  system  is  the  most  effective 
means  of  control.  A  rapidly  increasing  number  of  cities, 
recently  estimated  at  158,  have  adopted  ordinances  dealing 
with  public  dance  halls  and  incorporating  such  distinctive 
features  as  the  prohibition  of  the  sale  of  liquor  and  immoral 
dancing,   preventing   the   issuance    of    return   checks    so   that 

136 


MAKING  PUBLIC  OPINION  EFFECTIVE  [VIII] 

saloons  and  immoral  places  may  not  be  utilized  during  the 
dancing  period,  reasonable  closing  hours,  and  forbidding  the 
attendance  of  minors  under  eighteen  unless  accompanied  by 
parent  or  guardian. 

Constriictiz'e  Action 

Constructive  public  opinion  in  relation  to  the  problems  of 
the  social  rendezvous  group  affirms  the  validity  of  impulses 
to  sociability  just  as  it  recognizes  the  place  and  power  of 
the  dramatic  impulse.  It  sees  in  the  present  congestion  of 
home  life  in  cities,  in  the  abnormal  conditions  under  which 
great  numbers  of  young  people  are  forced  to  work  and  play, 
the  underlying  causes  of  the  evils  emerging  in  public  dance 
halls,  cafes  with  amusement  features,  and  similar  resorts. 
It  affirms  that  the  widespread  breakdown  of  character  which 
occurs  in  these  places  is  due  less  to  inherent  moral  defects 
than  to  the  rapacity  of  liquor  dealers  and  the  profit-seeking 
management  of  amusement  enterprises.  It  points  out  the  need 
of  safeguarding  every  phase  of  social  life  from  exploitation 
and  of  counteracting  the  evils  of  loneliness,  over-crowding, 
fatigue,  and  barren  leisure.  It  exerts  itself  against  pro- 
miscuous sociability,  and  endeavors  to  make  adequate  pro- 
vision for  safer  social  pleasures. 

This  type  of  public  interest  expresses  itself  in  a  varied 
provision  for  social  life  in  churches,  settlement  houses.  Chris- 
tian Associations,  social  and  recreation  centers,  and  the  like. 

The  social  life  connected  with  churches  of  all  denomina- 
tions is  a  fact  of  primary  importance  when  seen  in  relation 
to  this  problem.  Those  who  desire  the  solution  of  social 
problems  do  well  to  remember  that  there  are  in  this  country 
218,147  churches  with  a  membership  of  more  than  35,000,000. 
This  means  organized  social  life  of  the  utmost  significance. 

In  the  churches  the  family  group  is  still  the  natural  unit, 
and  great  numbers  of  young  people  in  city  and  country  meet 
for  social  pleasures  under  the  best  conditions.  The  impor- 
tance of  this  democratic  yet  safeguarded  social  life  can  hardly 

137 


[VIII]     CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

be  over-emphasized.  If  the  churches  were  to  utilize  to  the 
full  their  natural  advantages  for  the  extension  of  their  social 
activities  and  reassert  with  new  power  their  established  op- 
position to  class  distinctions  and  their  historic  emphasis  upon 
the  life  of  joy,  they  could  take  the  lead  among  the  construc- 
tive agencies  active  on  this  phase  of  the  problem. 

The  social  settlements,  now  numbering  approximately  413 
in  the  United  States,  have  pointed  the  way  toward  solutions 
of  the  problem  by  establishing  in  congested  districts  their 
attractive  neighborhood  houses,  open  and  inviting  to  the 
varied  interests  of  the  people.  Social  clubs  and  classes  of 
every  sort  that  find  a  response  in  the  people's  sense  of  need 
are  offered  and  made  as  independent  and  democratic  as 
possible.    Varied  opportunities  for  social  life  are  provided. 

The  Young  Men's  and  Young  Women's  Christian  Associa- 
tions have  rapidly  increased  to  the  number  of  2,357  foi*  young 
men  in  the  United  States  and  Canada,  and  949  for  young 
women  in  the  United  States.  These  Associations  make  an 
important  contribution  by  their  provision  of  dormitory  life 
and  social  opportunities.  Their  attractive  buildings  contain 
facilities  for  various  gymnasium  activities  and  other  games, 
lectures,  concerts,  amateur  theatricals,  and  friendly  gatherings. 
They  help  to  create  and  maintain  standards  of  social  morality. 

The  Young  Men's  Associations  are  in  direct  competition 
with  pool  halls,  and  "hang-outs"  for  men,  and  the  reported 
use  of  City  Association  buildings  or  rooms  by  625,598  mem- 
bers in  1913  indicates  the  eflfectiveness  of  their  rivalry. 

The  significance  of  the  many  leagues,  fraternities,  and 
social  clubs  for  men,  and  likewise  the  National  Guard  as  a 
social  organization,   should  be  fully  appreciated. 

The  movement  for  the  wider  use  of  school  buildings  has 
rapidly  assumed  national  significance,  71  cities  in  1912-13 
reporting  paid  workers  in  charge.  These  buildings  are  already 
owned  by  the  people  themselves  in  their  corporate  capacity, 
and  represent  in  the  aggregate  vast  sums  of  money  which 
are  yielding  annually  but  a  fraction  of  the  return  which  the 
community  may  justly  expect  from  them. 

138 


MAKING  PUBLIC  OPINION  EFFECTIVE  [VIII] 

The  recreation  features  of  social  centers  vary,  of  course, 
with  the  character  of  the  community,  but  usually  include  such 
a<Sitivities  as  public  lectures,  literary  and  musical  clubs,  handi- 
craft or  domestic  science  classes,  athletics,  game  rooms,  read- 
ing rooms,  neighborhood  nights,  old  fashioned  sociables,  and 
dancing  parties,  all  conducted  under  supervision. 

The  development  of  folk  dances  and  the  like  in  the  settle- 
ments and  recreation  centers  is  the  most  specific  effort  of 
recent  years  to  restore  an  appreciation  of  the  dance  as  a 
form  of  art,  and  to  offer  a  corrective  to  excesses  in  the 
modern  dances. 

All  of  these  agencies,  however,  are  far  from  adequate  to 
meet  the  situation  as  a  whole.  Many  groups  of  young  people 
have  little  or  no  relation  with  any  of  them,  and  conduct 
their  social  affairs  in  public  halls  rented  for  each  occasion. 

The  cultivation  of  private  social  parties  properly  conducted 
should  indeed  be  recognized  at  its  full  value.  However 
important  may  be  the  contribution  of  the  agencies  described 
above,  they  can  do  little  more  than  point  the  way  toward 
solutions  of  the  problem.  The  social  recreations  of  the  people 
will  continue  to  be  for  the  most  part  financially  independent 
and  conducted  by  selective  social  groups.  Even  in  the  poorer 
districts  of  the  larger  cities,  these  groups  will  continue  to  be 
socially  independent  and  self-sustaining. 

The  Athletic  Group  and  Special  Amusement  Places: 
Restrictive  Action 

In  relation  to  athletics,  restrictive  action  is  taken  through 
the  careful  rules  and  regulations  drawn  up  by  the  various 
leagues  and  clubs,  both  amateur  and  professional.  Disorderly 
conduct  among  spectators  is  subject  to  police  action.  Pro- 
fessional boxing  has  been  forbidden  altogether  in  many  states. 

Restrictive  public  opinion  in  relation  to  amusement  parks 
finds  expression  through  police  control  and  sometimes  through 
the  license  system  if  they  are  within  the  city  limits.  Race 
track  gambling  is  largely  prohibited  by  law. 

139 


[VIII]      CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

Constructive  Action:  Efforts  to  Provide  for  the  Free 
Development  of  Athletics;  Substitutes  for  Com- 
mercial Amusement  Resorts 

Constructive  public  opinion  has  long  been  at  work  in  the 
establishment  of  public  parks  and  playgrounds,  springing 
originally  out  of  a  desire  to  beautify  the  cities,  and  to  relieve 
the  evils  of  congestion.  As  a  recreation  movement  it  is 
now  becoming  conscious  of  its  significance  in  the  general 
reconstruction  of  city  life.  We  have  already  splendid  ex- 
amples of  public  parks  with  playgrounds  and  recreation  cen- 
ters, properly  supervised,  that  are  able  to  compete  effectively 
with  commercial  amusement  resorts,  and  to  provide  for  free 
and  wholesome  expressions  of  the  spirit  of  play.  The  sig- 
nificance of  these  developments  can  hardly  be  over-estimated. 
Open  air,  sunlight,  and  a  place  to  play,  bring  social  and 
spiritual  gifts  as  surely  as  they  bring  physical  releases. 

The  social  and  recreation  centers,  both  in  parks  and 
schoolhouses,  are  rapidly  carrying  us  forward  toward  new 
expressions  of  democracy.  Their  significance,  and  the  value 
of  the  supervised  recreation  conducted  in  them,  grows  each 
year  more  apparent.  The  vast  process  of  social  education 
is  largely  dependent  upon  organized  recreation,  and  social 
education  in  cities  is  finding  an  open  space,  a  standing  ground, 
and  a  rallying  point  in  public  parks  and  playgrounds.  They 
supply  a  physical  base  on  which  neighborhood  consciousness 
and  cooperation  may  develop.  They  supply  facilities  for 
carrying  out  a  city's  recreation  program,  and  are  more  and 
more  systematically  developed  as  the  cities  become  more 
awake  to  their  value.  342  cities  in  the  United  States  and 
Canada  were  reported  in  1913  to  be  maintaining  2,402  regu- 
larly supervised  playgrounds  and  recreation  centers,  at  a 
total  expenditure  of  $5,700,223.81,  and  to  be  employing  6,318 
workers.  These  and  like  provisions  mean  that  the  cities 
are  making  increasing  provision  for  the  outdoor  activities  of 
young  people  as  well  as  children,  and  seeking  to  show  them 
a  better    way   than   that   into   which   commercial   amusement 

140 


MAKING  PUBLIC  OPINION  EFFECTIVE  [VIII] 

enterprises  now  allure  them  in  countless  numbers.  Society 
must  not  only  restrict  and  repress  the  evil  features  of  amuse- 
ment offerings;  it  must  let  loose  the  springs  of  joy  and  glad- 
ness in  a  thousand  natural  ways  for  these  young  people 
under  wholesome  conditions. 

This  requires  not  only  the  provision  of  ample  public  facili- 
ties for  outdoor  recreation,  but  also  fidelity  to  the  principle 
that  athletic  games  shall  not  be  played  merely  to  win  nor  as 
an  end  in  themselves.  A  deeper  need  of  society  is  met  when 
play  in  all  its  forms  is  made  to  serve  as  a  means  to  all-round 
health,  development,  and  happiness;  when  it  is  made  to 
stimulate  and  unify  community  life.  The  end  of  athletics  is 
more  than  hard  muscles  and  physical  health,  more  than 
winning  games  or  developing  a  few  star  players ;  it  is  nothing 
less  than  a  broad  service  to  citizenship,  to  the  larger  social 
needs  of  all  the  people. 

With  city  congestion  as  serious  as  it  is,  and  the  exploitation 
of  happiness  what  it  is,  society  must  increasingly  fulfil  its 
duty  to  utilize  to  their  utmost  the  places  already  provided, 
in  order  that  youth  may  come  into  its  rightful  heritage.  This 
means  not  only  the  full  social  use  of  all  parks  and  play- 
grounds as  now  established,  but  also  more  recreation  centers, 
especially  devised  to  meet  the  needs  of  young  people,  recrea- 
tion piers,  baths  and  bathing  beaches,  skating  rinks,  playing 
fields,  theaters  for  amateurs,  and  assembly  halls. 

The  recreation  movement  recognizes,  however,  that  it  is 
not  enough  to  provide  these  places  and  leave  the  young  people 
to  frequent  them  without  guidance  in  the  pleasures  which 
develop  there.  The  supervision  of  activities  that  go  on  is, 
after  all,  the  essential  element,  without  which  the  facilities 
provided  are  often  worse  than  wasted.  Only  as  counsellors 
and  play  leaders  of  tact  and  wisdom,  men  and  women  of  rich 
personality,  are  brought  into  touch  with  young  people,  will 
recreation  be  sure  to  bring  youth  out  into  a  rich  maturity. 
Only  thus  will  the  "upper  ends"  of  play  bear  fruit  in  citizen- 
ship and  community  spirit.  It  is  this  high  quality  of  play 
leadership  which,  in  the  actual  outworking  of  the  recreation 

141 


[VIII]      CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

movement,  will  largely  determine  the  effectiveness  of  public 
facilities  for  recreation  in  competition  with  commercial  amuse- 
ment resorts  and  parks.  If  the  best  public  opinion  and  moral 
responsibility  can  actually  control  the  supervision  of  these 
facilities  and  take  the  lead  in  public  recreation,  then  low 
commercial  offerings  can  either  be  driven  out  of  business  or 
forced  to  raise  their  standards. 

The  Playground  and  Recreation  Association  of  America 
renders  a  national  service  in  working  for  the  full  ideal  of 
recreation.  It  cooperates  in  making  recreation  surveys  of 
cities,  in  fostering  the  establishment  of  comprehensive  sys- 
tems of  recreation,  in  locating  play-leaders  and  supervisors, 
in  giving  general  information  about  recreation  and  in  stimu- 
lating public  interest  in  all  related  questions. 

Twenty-six  organizations  in  New  York,  with  some  of  which 
recreation  is  only  an  incidental  purpose,  are  cooperating  in 
the  Recreation  Alliance  of  New  York  City.  It  is  prophetic 
of  the  cooperative  action  of  the  future.  It  seeks  to  serve 
as  a  center  of  intercommunication  for  the  various  organiza- 
tions interested  in  recreation  in  New  York  City. 

Constructive  public  opinion,  persistent  and  effective,  is  now 
fighting  out  on  such  lines  as  these  the  question  whether 
wholesome  amusement,  under  reasonable  guidance,  can  be 
made  to  "go"  with  young  people  under  the  abnormal  condi- 
tions of  city  life;  whether  professional,  commercial,  and 
immoral  influences  have  gained  the  mastery  or  whether  this 
great  and  beautiful  portion  of  life  can  be  restored  to  a  free 
and  spontaneous  expression,  that  it,  in  turn,  may  lead  the 
way  to  the  highest  values.  Public  morality  is  at  stake  in 
this  struggle,  and  is  to  be  reckoned  as  a  value  not  less  sacred, 
surely,  than  public  health  or  safety. 

Special  Amusement  Events:  Restrictive  Action 

Special  amusement  events,  such  as  holidays,  excursions, 
and  the  circus,  require  extraordinary  alertness  on  the  part 
of  the  police  and  other  restrictive  agencies  of  government. 

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MAKING  PUBLIC  OPINION  EFFECTIVE  [VIII] 

Special  provisions  and  safeguards  are  made  against  dangers 
or  evils  likely  to  emerge  upon  such  occasions. 

Constructive  Action 

The  charm  of  the  special  day  devoted  to  happiness  is 
deeply  significant  in  our  civic  life.  It  answers  one  of  the 
oldest  needs  of  man,  and  of  none  more  than  the  men  and 
women  working  at  high  speed  in  mechanical  drudgery  for 
long  hours  of  daily  labor.  It  is  this  which  lends  to  the 
observance  of  Sunday  an  intense  significance  in  an  industrial 
social  order.  Just  as  there  is  no  exploitation  of  pleasure 
more  iniquitous  than  the  exploitation  of  holidays,  there  is 
no  movement  of  constructive  public  opinion  more  beneficent 
than  that  for  the  worthy  celebration  of  holidays,  the  move- 
ment for  community  festivals,  field  days,  fairs,  and  pageants. 

The  emotional  life  of  the  race  cannot  be  registered  by  the 
time-clock  at  the  factory  gate.  It  floods  the  free  spaces  of 
the  day,  the  week,  and  suffuses  every  holiday.  It  is  this  that 
makes  them  holy  days.  Those  who  capture  the  holidays  of 
men  for  clean  and  wholesome  pleasures,  strike  a  body-blow 
at  commercialism  and  vice.  It  is,  therefore,  highly  significant 
that  the  festival  holiday  movement  has  rapidly  spread  in 
recent  years  and  won  for  itself  an  enduring  place  among 
effective  social  agencies. 

The  insane  Fourth  has  rapidly  given  way  to  the  sane. 
The  celebration  of  the  day  has  become  enriched  as  a  civic 
festival  incorporating  many  forms  of  public  recreation  and 
noble  demonstrations  of  patriotism. 

The  distinctive  values  of  Labor  Day,  Thanksgiving,  Christ- 
mas, New  Year's  Day,  Washington's  and  Lincoln's  Birthday, 
Memorial  Day,  and  others  variously  celebrated,  give  to  the 
year  no  small  portion  of  its  national  sentiment.  Worthy 
celebrations  of  all  these  days  are  a  primary  duty  of  public 
opinion  in  every  community  in  the  land. 

How  many  beautiful  values  can  be  made  to  live  for  all 
mankind  by  gaily  marching  children,  by  youths  contending  ini 

143 


[VIII]     CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

athletic  games,  by  maidens  winding  round  the  Maypole,  by 
lively  music  quickening  and  dissolving  the  quaint  formations 
of  the  folk  dances,  by  free  families  released  to  wander  with 
romping  children  through  the  parks  or  over  the  green  of 
the  countryside?  What  sacred  yearnings  in  the  Nation's 
heart  may  not  be  stirred  by  reverent  celebration  of  her  dead? 
What  daring  hopes  of  men  may  yet  be  freed  by  rockets  blaz- 
ing skyward  in  the  night?  Who  yet  has  told  the  Nation  all 
the  values  of  her  holidays? 

The  movement  for  festival  pageants  came  to  us  from 
England,  where  they  were  revived  in  1905.  It  has  rapidly 
spread  throughout  the  Nation,  quickening  civic  enthusiasm, 
and  revealing  unused  resources  for  the  celebration  of  local 
and  national  holidays.  Among  the  early  pageants  in  the 
smaller  cities  and  villages  were  those  at  Bronxville,  New 
York;  Gloucester,  Massachusetts;  New  Britain,  Connecticut; 
Thetford  and  St.  Johnsburg,  Vermont;  Ripon,  Wisconsin; 
and  Evanston,  Illinois.  Notable  among  the  pageants  in  larger 
cities  have  been  those  in  Boston,  Philadelphia,  Chicago,  Brook- 
lyn, and  Milwaukee.  Perhaps  the  most  spectacular  of  all  was 
the  Hudson-Fulton  Celebration  at  New  York  in  1912. 

Pageantry  also  played  a  notable  part  in  the  Alaska- Yukon 
Exposition,  and  will  be  a  conspicuous  feature  of  the  Panama 
Exposition  in  San  Francisco  in  1915.  ''■" 

Three  facts  are  of  special  significance  in  the  relation  of  the 
pageant  to  the  amusement  problem.  First,  its  reliance  upon 
a  large  body  of  amateurs,  tinder  the  direction  of  professional 
trainers  but  not  supplanted  by  them.  Second,  its  freedom 
from  the  commercial  motive,  the  returns  above  expenses  being 
used  ordinarily  for  community  interests;  and  third,  its  in- 
herently moral  atmosphere.  It  may  well  stand  as  our  best 
illustration  of  the  highest  type  of  organized  play. 

The  social  values  of  pageantry  are  many  and  far-reaching. 
Beside  the  enduring  memory  of  beautiful  pictures,  a  new  pride 
in  local  history  is  awakened,  and  this  in  turn  brings  com- 
munity interest  and  loyalty.  Prejudice  and  social  cleavage 
give  way  to  neighborly  feelings.     The  participation  of  hun- 

144 


MAKING  PUBLIC  OPINION  EFFECTIVE  [VIIIT 

dreds  of  people  in  the  acting  brings  a  new  sense  of  the  value 
of  cooperative  community  action.  The  participation  of  school 
children  has  high  educational  value  in  its  training  of  artistic 
expression. 

Like  all  other  forms  of  art,  pageantry  serves  to  interpret 
life  as  a  whole,  and  in  an  age  predominantly  social,  an  art 
so  essentially  social  as  pageantry  must  have  fundamental 
significance.  It  quickens  appreciation  of  all  the  poetry  of 
life — so  sadly  neglected  in  America — and  deepens  the  spiritual 
significance  of  historic  events  and  national  memories. 

City  Departments  of  Recreation 

"We  continually  forget  how  new  the  modern  city  is  and 
how  short  the  span  of  time  in  which  we  have  assumed  that 
we  can  eliminate  from  public  life  public  recreation.  The 
Greeks  and  Romans  held  games  to  be  an  integral  part  of 
patriotism.  It  would  be  interesting  to  trace  how  far  this 
thoughtless  conclusion  (that  the  modern  city  need  not  provide 
recreation)  is  responsible  for  the  vicious  excitements  and 
trivial  amusements  which  in  a  modern  city  so  largely  take 
the  place  formerly  supplied  by  public  recreation  and  manly 
sports.  It  would  be  illuminating  to  know  the  legitimate  con- 
nection between  lack  of  public  facilities  for  decent  pleasures 
and  our  present  social  immoralities."  ^ 

In  the  spirit  of  these  words,  constructive  public  opinion 
is  active  in  the  establishment  of  city  departments  of  recreation, 
coordinate  with  other  branches  of  city  government.  A  few 
cities  have  already  established  such  departments  and  there 
is  now  a  rapidly  developing  extension  of  this  movement.  If 
these  departments  are  put  under  the  supervision  of  men  and 
women  who,  on  the  one  hand,  recognize  the  social  and  moral 
enormity  of  much  that  is  now  urged  upon  young  people  under 
amusement  labels,  and  who,  on  the  other  hand,  have  an  un- 
shakable faith  in  the  young  people  who  pass  under  their 
supervision,  we  may  expect  far-reaching  results. 


1  C.  R.  Henderson,  "Preventative  Agencies  and  Methods,"  p.  380,  quoting 
Miss  Jane  Addams. 

145 


[VIII]     CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

What  large  results  may  the  public  expect  from  the  estab- 
lishment of  recreation  departments  in  city  governments? 
Our  study  would  lead  us  to  hope  that  they  might  serve  the 
double  need  for  restrictive  and  constructive  action. 

First,  there  should  be  such  regulation  of  commercial  enter- 
prises as  w^ill  make  impossible  the  glaring  evils  now  associated 
with  many  of  them;  an  immediate  result  to  be  desired — 
restrictive  action  on  a  high  level  of  intelligence,  artistic  taste, 
and  moral  dignity. 

Second,  there  should  be  such  a  far-reaching  constructive 
program  as  will  include  the  provision  and  use  of  adequate 
facilities  for  public  recreation,  and  its  sympathetic  super- 
vision.    This  may  rightly  be  expected. 

May  we  not  look  to  city  departments  of  recreation  for  civic 
theaters  expressive  of  our  common  life?  May  we  not  look 
to  them  for  social  and  recreation  centers  wisely  supervised? 
May  we  not  look  to  them  for  the  fostering  of  universal 
athletics?  May  we  not  look  to  them  for  the  provision  and 
utilization  of  public  parks  and  playing  fields,  little  and  large? 
May  we  not  look  to  them  for  worthy  pageants  and  public 
festivals?  We  may,  if  we  look  to  ourselves  for  these  things 
after  the  fashion  of  a  democracy. 

We  may  indeed  rightly  expect  them  to  take  the  lead  in  the 
high  art  of  social  education — the  stimulation  of  common 
action  and  community  consciousness.  If  they  are  well  ad- 
ministered, they  may  make  no  less  a  contribution  to  our 
common  life  than  is  now  being  made  by  those  responsible  for 
formal  education.  They  will  be  dealing  with  equally  signifi- 
cant activities  of  the  human  spirit,  and  may  guide  it  to  joyous 
releases  by  the  unifying  power  of  organized  recreation.  They 
may,  if  they  will,  lead  the  way  to  the  new  city  state,  to  the 
day  of  free  cities,  outshining  those  of  ancient  Greece,  in 
which  the  uses  of  leisure  shall  be  no  less  eiffective  than  the 
uses  of  labor  in  the  service  of  the  common  good. 

Suggestions  for  Local  Action 

In  view  of  these   splendid  measures   already  under   way, 
146 


.  MAKING  PUBLIC  OPINION  EFFECTIVE  [VIII] 

what  shall  be  the  program  of  Christian  citizens  in  any  com- 
munity in  working  out  the  great  fundamental  principles  of 
Jesus?  What  specifically  can  be  done  in  "our  town"  on  the 
diflferent  phases  of  the  problem?  In  every  community  there 
is  a  situation  to  be  met  rather  than  a  theory  to  be  applied. 
The  national  solution  of  the  problem  will  be  effective  only 
through  local  action  determined  upon  and  carried  through  by 
little  groups  of  interested  men  and  women  who  set  themselves 
to  community  betterment. 

The  Situation  as  a  Whole 

It  is  essential  to  remember  that  a  most  fundamental  solu- 
tion of  this  problem,  locally  as  well  as  nationally,  lies  in  the 
adoption  of  the  gospel  of  wholesome  play,  in  the  full  develop- 
ment of  private  recreation  as  over  against  public — private  in 
the  sense  that  the  crowd  is  avoided,  that  commercialized 
attractions  are  shunned  and  reliance  placed  upon  plays  and 
games  in  which  personal  skill,  initiative,  wit,  and  originality 
count. 

It  is  even  more  essential  to  remember  that  Christianity 
makes  its  basic  contribution  in  the  establishment  throughout 
the  community  of  those  fundamental  principles  of  Jesus 
which  ought  to  govern  personal  recreation.  Only  as  indi- 
viduals bring  all  their  dramatic  amusement  choices  to  the 
test  of  Jesus'  principles  of  the  Guarded  Eye  and  Ear,  Purity 
of  Heart  and  the  Truth-About-Life,  will  the  highest  types  of 
dramatic  recreation  be  achieved.  Only  as  young  people  em- 
body in  all  their  social  amusements  the  high  principles  of 
Reverence  for  Personality,  Clean  and  Reverent  Speech,  Self- 
Control,  and  the  Sacredness  of  Friendship,  will  these  recrea- 
tions be  put  on  the  highest  level  and  the  social  impulses  find 
their  highest  expression.  Only  as  athletics  are  actually 
dominated  by  principles  of  JHonesty,  Freedom  from  Reck- 
lessness and  Cupidity,  Self-Control  and  Forgiveness,  and 
Freedom  from  Brutality,  will  friendly  athletics  fulfil  their 
beneficent    function.      Only    as    Independence    and    Personal 

147 


[VIII]     CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

Integrity  are  actually  matched  by  individuals  to  crowd  con- 
tagion; only  as  Preparedness  and  Reserve  Power  are  ready 
for  times  of  special  temptation,  and  the  Sabbath  made  to 
function  to  that  end  as  a  high  day  of  refreshment,  will  the 
community  be  free  from  contagious  infections  of  evil  spread- 
ing from  special  amusement  places  and  events. 

The  building  of  all  these  fundamental  principles  into  the 
very  sub-structure  of  community  life  is  the  business,  most  of 
all,  of  the  home  and  the  church.  However  well  they  do  this 
work,  there  will  yet  be  much  to  do  on  the  public  problem 
which  Christians  may  not  ignore  if  we  have  correctly  under- 
stood the  principles  of  Jesus.  Any  group  of  Christian  people 
who  desire  to  cooperate  in  the  improvement  of  local  conditions 
will  need  to  get  at  the  facts  of  their  own  situation  and 
awaken  an  intelligent  and  determined  public  conscience.  This 
may  be  done  by  wise  investigation  and  publicity. 

Some  such  restrictive  and  constructive  forms  of  action  as 
the  following  may  thus  be  worked  out.  These  are  only  a 
few  suggestions  among  the  many  that  might  be  made,  and 
are  set  down  as  illustrative  only  of  what  is  being  done, 
and  may  be  done,  by  groups  of  people  who  approach  the 
problem  from  many  and  varied  points  of  view.  The  indi- 
vidual student  must  determine  for  himself  the  degree  to  which 
they  are  Christian  and  merit  his  support.^ 

The  Dramatic  Group:  Restrictive  Action 

An  amicable  understanding  with  a  theater  manager  may 
be  secured  in  an  effort  to  eliminate  an  offensive  play,  or  plays. 

An  appeal  may  be  made  to  the  mayor  or  chief  of  police 
to  enforce  the  law.  One  difficulty  involved  in  taking  direct 
action  against  a  particular  theatrical  production  is  that  pub- 
licity follows,  and  attracts  a  certain  type  of  public,  so  that 


1  For  help  on  local  problems  correspond  with  the  Playgroiind  and  Recrea- 
tion Association  of  America,  i  Madison  Ave.,  New  York  City;  The  Recrea- 
tion Department  of  the  Russell  Sage  Foundation,  130  E.  22nd  St.,  New  York 
City,  or  other  agencies  mentioned  in  this  chapter. 

148 


MAKING  PUBLIC  OPINION  EFFECTIVE  [VIII] 

audiences  often  increase  and  little  or  nothing  is  accomplished. 
Action  covering  more  than  one  production  is  essential. 

An  appeal  may  be  made  to  the  district  attorney  to  bring 
suit.  The  end  sought  in  this  action  is  usually  the  revocation 
of  the  license  and  the  punishment  of  the  responsible  persons. 

An  effort  may  be  made  to  secure  the  establishment  of  a 
bureau  of  licenses  having  control  over  this  and  other  phases 
of  the  problem.  Efforts  may  be  made  to  secure  more  ade- 
quate inspection  and  enforcement  of  law  in  case  such  a  bureau 
is  already  established. 

In  relation  to  motion  pictures,  a  local  censorship  board 
may  be  established  by  joint  action  of  the  various  managers, 
the  city  government,  and  interested  citizens. 

Public  support  may  be  enlisted  for  the  passing  of  such 
measures  as  that  eliminating  vaudeville  from  motion  picture 
shows,  young  children  from  participation  in  theatrical  pro- 
ductions, and   similar  reforms. 

Constntctk'c  Action 

The  production  of  the  best  plays  only,  in  commercial 
theaters,  may  be  fostered  by  the  Drama  League  or  similar 
plan,  and  dramatic  taste  may  be  cultivated  by  lectures  and 
discussions. 

Amateur  theatricals  may  be  developed  through  dramatic 
reading  circles,  and  the  acting  of  original  plays  or  those  by 
the  best  dramatists. 

Interest  in  an  endowed  theater  for  amateurs  may  be 
quickened. 

The  educational  uses  of  motion  pictures  may  be  magni- 
fied, and  their  use  extended  to  churches,  schools,  and  parks. 

The  Social  Rendezvous  Group:  Restrictive  Action 

Cooperation  may  be  secured  by  a  group  of  citizens  with 
the  management  of  a  public  dance  hall,  cafe  with  amusement 
features,' or  other  institutions  of  this  group  to  preserve  better 
order,  eliminate  the  sale  of  liquor  to  minors  or  in  places  where 

149 


[VIII]     CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

it  is  forbidden  by  law,  prevent  immoral  dancing,  gambling, 
and  soliciting  by  immoral  women  or  men,  and  other  similar 
reforms. 

An  appeal  may  be  made  to  the  mayor,  chief  of  police,  or 
other  officials,  to  enforce  the  law  or  city  ordinances  in  respect 
to  evils  arising  in  places  of  this  type. 

An  appeal  may  be  made  to  the  district  or  city  attorney  to 
bring  suit. 

Co nstructive  A ction 

Support  may  be  given  to  restaurants  and  cafes  which  do  not 
offer  unwholesome  amusement  features. 

Full  support  may  be  given  to  all  such  institutions  as 
churches,  social  settlements,  Christian  Associations,  lodges, 
and  social  clubs,  which  maintain  a  high  grade  social  life  of 
their  own.  Nothing  is  more  needed  perhaps  in  the  average 
community  than  to  vivify  the  social  life  of  the  church,  to  make 
it  inviting,   free-spirited,   and  controlling. 

Selective  social  life  upon  high  levels  and  in  good  surround- 
ings may  be  fostered  among  all  groups  of  young  people  in 
the  community. 

The  use  of  public  halls  may  be  rendered  unnecessary  by 
the  provision  and  group  use  of  social  centers  and  other  facil- 
ities. 

The  Athletic  Group:  Restrictive  Action 

The  cooperation  of  captains,  officials,  and  members  of  teams 
may  be  secured  in  the  elimination  of  rough  and  unfair  play, 
the  use  of  professionals  in  amateur  games,  and  betting. 

The  cooperation  of  spectators  may  be  secured  in  the 
elimination  of  discourtesies  to  visiting  teams  and  similar 
forms  of  bad  conduct. 

City  and  state  officials  may  be  invoked  to  enforce  the  laws 
against  gamibhng  and  prize-fighting.  Public  pressure  may  be 
brought  to  bear  upon  them  in  the  ways  already  suggested. 

150 


MAKING  PUBLIC  OPINION  EFFECTIVE  [VIII] 

Constructive  Action 

Amateur  athletics  of  all  kinds  under  wise  supervision  may- 
be organized  among  the  young  people  of  the  community 
with  great  effect. 

The  full  use  of  pubhc  parks  and  playing  fields,  gymnasiums, 
bathing  beaches  and  the  like,  may  be  fostered  by  making 
them  easily  accessible  to  all  who  would  use  them. 

Enthusiasm  for  all  forms  of  outdoor  sports  may  be  devel- 
oped by  volunteer  and  professional  play  leaders,  and  a  policy 
of  "athletics  for  all"  may  be  developed. 

Cooperation  may  be  offered  in  securing  only  the  highest 
grade  men  for  coaches,  trainers,  and  officials  at  games. 

Special  Amusement  Places:  Restrictive  Action 

The  cooperation  of  the  owners  and  managers  of  amusement 
parks  may  be  secured  by  fully  acquainting  them  with  exist- 
ing evils.  The  restriction  of  evil  practices  may  thus  be 
secured. 

An  appeal  may  be  made  to  city  or  county  officials  to  enforce 
the  law  against  those  responsible  for  drunkenness,  gambling, 
and  vice. 

An  appeal  may  be  made  to  the  city  or  district  attorney 
to  bring  suit  against  the  management  and  seek  the  closing  of 
the  enterprise. 

Constructive  Action 

The  larger  provision,  and  social  use  of  public  parks,  play- 
grounds, and  playing  fields  may  be  fostered. 

The  full  support  and  commendation  of  the  well-run  com- 
mercial enterprise  may  add  to  its  power  in  competition  with 
loosely  conducted  resorts. 

The  improvement  of  sites  of  natural  beauty  may  be  carried 
forward  at  pubHc  expense  or  by  private  benefaction,  and 
their  use  made  popular. 

151 


[VIII]      CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

Special  Amusement  Events:  Restrictive  Action 

The  cooperation  of  those  promoting  amusement  events  may 
be  secured  by  a  group  of  citizens,  and  evil  features  obviated 
by  careful  provisions  made  in  advance. 

The  police  and  other  city  officials  may  be  forewarned  con- 
cerning doubtful  projects. 

Detectives  may  be  employed  to  secure  evidence  for  later 
use  in  prosecutions. 


Constructive  Action 

The  community  may  be  educated  to  a  full  appreciation  of 
the  field  day,  pageant,  sane  Fourth,  and  similar  celebrations. 

A  group  of  citizens  may  undertake  small  celebrations  and 
work  up  to  the  preparation  of  a  festival  pageant. 

Leaders  in  country  districts  may  attain  large  results  by 
arranging  a  field  day.  An  "Old  Home  Week"  helps  com- 
munity spirit. 

City  Departments  of  Recreation 

All  efforts  for  sustained  public  action  may  be  made  to  con- 
verge toward  the  establishment  of  such  a  department.  Public 
approval  energized  by  the  highest  ideals  is  essential  for  their 
full  success. 

The  Amusement  Problem  Can  he  Solved 

The  Christian  men  and  women  of  America  can  solve  the 
amusement  problem  if  they  will.  The  moral  issues  are  clear. 
The  principles  of  Jesus  for  personal  and  pubhc  action  are 
manifest.  Working  solutions  have  already  proved  effective. 
In  every  community  the  duty  of  action  is  urgent.  The  mil- 
lions of  Christian  men  and  women  in  America,  old  and 
young,  can  revolutionize  present  conditions  if  they  will. 
Christianity  bids  every  individual  to  do  his  part. 

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MAKING  PUBLIC  OPINION  EFFECTIVE  [VIII-i] 

The  Final  Coiitrihution  of  Christianity 

What  has  Christianity  to  say  finally  to  one  who  tries  to 
incorporate  the  principles  of  Jesus  in  his  personal  Hfe  and 
seems  to  fail?  This  above  other  things.  Principles  are  not 
wrought  into  life  piecemeal.  The  whole-hearted  devotion  of 
oneself  in  service  to  Him  who  personified  these  principles  will 
catch  a  man's  life  up  mto  that  living  friendship  with  Christ 
which  guides  to  victory. 

What  has  Christianity  to  say  to  those  who  have  engaged 
in  many  efforts  to  establish  pubhc  righteousness  and  appar- 
ently failed?  The  word  of  Jesus  is  never  more  beautiful  and 
compelHng  than  when  it  comes  to  men  and  women  who  have 
done  their  utmost  in  his  service  without  visible  result,  even 
as  he  himself  seemed  to  have  failed  on  that  last  night  of  his 
life.  To  these  he  brings  a  deep  assurance  of  the  final  triumph 
pXthe  good.  He  brings  the  sense  of  certainty  that  whatever 
the  plottings  of  evil  men,  whatever  the  tragic  ignorance  and 
frailty  of  j^outh,  whatever  the  unanswered  cravings  of  the 
human  heart  for  happiness,  he  has  himself  in  his  life,  his 
teachings,  and  his  living  presence,  given  full  answer  to  all 
apparent  failure.  They  who  share  his  purpose  for  the  life 
of  the  world  can  still  surely  know  that  whatever  happens  to 
their  individual  lives,  the  mighty  power  of  the  Everlasting 
God  is  bound  to  go  on  achieving  the  Christian  social  order. 
They  do  not  serve  alone — the  Sense  of  His  Presence  is  the 
final  gift.  He  gives  assurance  of  final  victory,  the  certainty 
that  righteousness  will  yet  be  established. 


Daily  Readings 

I.     How  can  these  principles  be  brought  to  bear  on  the  main 
source  of  evil  in  the  public  problem  in  our  town? 

Lay  not  up  for  yourselves  treasures  upon  the  earth, 
where   moth   and   rust   consume,    and   where   thieves 

153 


[VIII-2]    CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

break  throtigh  and  steal:  but  lay  up  for  yourselves 
treasures  in  heaven,  where  neither  moth  nor  rust  doth 
consume,  and  where  thieves  do  not  break  through  nor 
steal :  for  where  thy  treasure  is,  there  will  thy  heart 
be  also.  .  .  .  No  man  can  serve  two  masters :  for 
either  he  will  hate  the  one,  and  love  the  other;  or  else 
he  will  hold  to  one,  and  despise  the  other.  Ye  cannot 
serve  God  and  mammon. — Matt.  6 :  19-24. 

What  reconstructions  do  these  words  involve? 

2.  Paul's  letter  to  the  Philippians  reveals  the  unity  of  the 
struggle  for  personal  and  public  righteousness. 

Only  let  your  manner  of  life  be  worthy  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ :  that,  whether  I  come  and  see  you 
or  be  absent,  I  may  hear  of  your  state,  that  ye  stand 
fast  in  one  spirit,  with  one  soul  striving  for  the  faith 
of  the  gospel;  and  in  nothing  affrighted  by  the  adver- 
saries :  which  is  for  them  an  evident  token  of  perdi- 
tion, but  of  your  salvation,  and  that  from  God ;  be- 
cause to  3^ou  it  hath  been  granted  in  the  behalf  of 
Christ,  not  only  to  believe  on  him,  but  also  to  suffer 
in  his  behalf :  having  the  same  conflict  which  ye  saw 
in  me,  and  now  hear  to  be  in  me. — Phil,  i :  27-30. 

3.  And  he  called  unto  him  his  twelve  disciples,  and 
gave  them  authority  over  unclean  spirits,  to  cast  them 
out,  and  to  heal  all  manner  of  disease  and  all  manner 
of  sickness.  .  .  .  And  as  ye  go,  preach,  saying,  The 
kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand.  Heal  the  sick,  raise 
the  dead,  cleanse  the  lepers,  cast  out  demons :  freely 
ye  received,  freely  give.  .  .  .  But  when  they  deliver 
you  up,  be  not  anxious  how  or  what  ye  shall  speak : 
for  it  shall  be  given  you  in  that  hour  what  ye  shall 
speak.  For  it  is  not  ye  that  speak,  but  the  Spirit  of 
your  Father  that  speaketh  in  you. — Matt.  10 :  i,  7,  8, 
19,  20. 

Evidently  this  was  not  to  be  an  isolated  group  of  Jesus' 
disciples.     They  were  but  the  first  of  many  bands  bravely 

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MAKING  PUBLIC  OPINION  EFFECTIVE    [VIII-4] 

going  forth  on  his  beneficent  work.  To  all  those  who  labor 
to  estabhsh  righteousness  he  promises  the  presence  of  the 
Spirit. 

4.  When  men  come  to  practical  measures  for  establishing 
righteousness  in  community  life,  their  views  and  methods  are 
apt  to  vary.  To  those  in  such  a  situation  the  word  of  Jesus 
comes. 

A  new  commandment  I  give  unto  you,  that  ye  love 
one  another ;  even  as  I  have  loved  you,  that  ye  also 
love  one  another.  By  this  shall  all  men  know  that  ye 
are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to  another. — John 
13:34,  35. 

John  said  unto  him,  Teacher,  we  saw  one  casting 
out  demons  in  thy  name ;  and  we  forbade  him,  because 
he  followed  not  us.  But  Jesus  said,  Forbid  him  not : 
for  there  is  no  man  who  shall  do  a  mighty  work  in 
my  name,  and  be  able  quickly  to  speak  evil  of  me. 
For  he  that  is  not  against  us  is  for  us. — Mark 
9 :  38-40. 

5.  The  continuing  sources  of  power  must  be  found  by  those 
who  would  do  continuous  service  for  public  righteousness. 

And  I  say  unto  you.  Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you  ; 
seek,  and  ye  shall  find ;  knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened 
unto  you.  For  every  one  that  asketh  receiveth ;  and 
he  that  seeketh  findeth ;  and  to  him  that  knocketh  it 
shall  be  opened.  And  of  which  of  you  that  is  a 
father  shall  his  son  ask  a  loaf,  and  he  give  him  a 
stone?  or  a  fish,  and  he  for  a  fish  give  him  a  serpent? 
Or  if  he  shall  ask  an  egg,  will  he  give  him  a  scorpion? 
If  ye  then,  being  evil,  know  how  to  give  good  gifts 
unto  your  children,  how  much  more  shall  your  heav- 
enly Father  give  the  Holy  Spirit  to  them  that  ask 
him? — Luke  11 :  9-13. 

6.  Sooner  or  later  the  battle  for  the  establishment  of  right- 

155 


[VIII-7]    CHRISTIANITY  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

eousness   involves  a   cross.     What   spirit  turns   a   cross   into 
a  victory? 

And  when  they  came  unto  the  place  which  is  called 
The  skull,  there  they  crucified  him,  and  the  male- 
factors, one  on  the  right  hand  and  the  other  on  the 
left.  And  Jesus  said,  Father,  forgive  them;  for  they 
know  not  what  they  do.  And  parting  his  garments 
among  them,  they  cast  lots.  And  the  people  stood 
beholding.  And  the  rulers  also  scoffed  at  him,  saying. 
He  saved  others ;  let  him  save  himself,  if  this  is  the 
Christ  of  God,  his  chosen.  And  the  soldiers  also 
mocked  him,  coming  to  him,  offering  him  vinegar,  and 
saying.  If  thou  art  the  King  of  the  Jews,  save  thyself. 
And  there  was  also  a  superscription  over  him.  This 
IS  THE  King  of  the  Jews. — Luke  22, :  33-38. 

7.     "Be  of  good  cheer." 

In  that  day  ye  shall  ask  in  my  name :  and  I  say  not 
unto  you,  that  I  will  pray  the  Father  for  you ;  for  the 
Father  himself  loveth  you,  because  ye  have  loved  me, 
and  have  believed  that  I  came  forth  from  the  Father. 
I  came  out  from  the  Father,  and  am  come  into  the 
world :  again,  I  leave  the  world,  and  go  unto  the 
Father.  .  .  .  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you, 
that  in  me  ye  may  have  peace.  In  the  world  ye  have 
tribulation:  but  be  of  good  cheer;  I  have  overcome 
the  world. — John  16 :  26-28,  33. 

Suggestions  for  Thought  and  Discussion 

What  are  the  most  aggravated  amusement  evils  in  our  town? 

Which  can  best  be  met  by  restrictive  action  ?  Which  by 
constructive  action? 

Upon  what  social  measures  shall  we  focus  our  attention? 

What  shall  he  our  specific  local  program  of  improvements? 

From  what  state  or  national  organizations  can  we  secure 
help  through  correspondence,  visiting  investigators,  speakers, 
advisers,  literature? 

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MAKING  PUBLIC  OPINION  EFFECTIVE  [VIII-s] 

Through  what  existing  local  institutions  can  most  effective' 
work  be  donef 

What  are  the  special  opportunities  of  the  churches  and 
closely  alHed  organizations?  What  specific  things  can  we  do 
in  and  through  them? 

How  can  our  homes  contribute  more  largely  to  the  im- 
provement of  conditions? 

What  can  we  do  to  foster  the  "make  your  own  fun"  type 
of  play? 

What  can  we  do  through  social  centers  in  school  houses 
or  elsewhere? 

What  can  we  do  through  movements  working  without 
institutional  equipment  such  as  holiday  celebrations,  commu- 
nity festivals,  and  pageants? 

In  what  ways  could  we  make  progress  in  the  direction  of 
a  department  of  recreation  in  our  town  or  city  government? 

Are  we  willing  to  back  our  own  program  to  the  hmit? 

What  grounds  are  there  for  believing  in  the  ultimate  triumph 
of  the  good  despite  setbacks  and  temporary  failures? 
How  and  when  shall  we  look  to  God  for  strength  and 
guidance? 


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Date  Due 

Ifr  24  38 

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